Jason Grace and the True King's Sword
by bfalt1
Summary: Jason Grace has enjoyed the peace since the end of the war with Gaea. It has only been a few months, but Jason has grown accustomed to the peace. However, a mysterious summons will mess all of that up. Jason and Piper must travel to England and search for something called the True King's Sword. Unbeknownst to either of them, they will also be reunited with a lost friend... COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello all! Welcome to my new story! For those of you who have read my Elizabeth Jackson series, this does not directly connect to those at all. So here's the deal with this story. It will be a short-ish fic. There will be twelve chapters published daily until the story is over. The chapters will be somewhat shorter than the ones in my Elizabeth Jackson series, so this will be a slightly different format than those. I do hope everyone enjoys this story!** **I hope you enjoy the story and DFTBA!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus, which both belong to Rick Riordan, nor do I know the myths, legends, and stories that I reference over the course of the story which belong to all of human kind.**

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Jason Grace and the True King's Sword

Chapter 1

December 17th

The Pontifex Maximus stood in the Temple of Jupiter, waiting and thinking. It was the first day of Saturnalia, the most important Roman holiday. Thus today was the most auspicious day for the grand ceremony, where he would officially consecrate the first stage of the Temple Project. But it was also another important day for Jason Grace. Only a year ago he was waking up in a bus without any of his memories. Now he was back at Camp Jupiter. It wouldn't be long before he gave a speech to a huge crowd of Romans and Greeks.

Jason loved his new role. He felt so lucky to be able to contribute to both of his homes – Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood – in an important and meaningful way. He was an integral part of building a brighter future for everyone, and there was nothing more he could want besides that. The only downside was he had to sit and pray for hours in his father's temple. Jason didn't fully understand why opening a temple for Kymompoleia meant that he had to spend the entire morning in his father's temple blessing it, but these were the Romans, and tradition was everything.

"Bored yet?" a voice drawled from behind him, making Jason jump.

He turned and found Nico di Angelo striding towards him. "Pluto's Pauldrons, di Angelo!" Jason exclaimed. "I swear I'm going to have to buy you a bell." Nico had changed a lot that past few months since Gaea had been defeated. He lived at Camp Half-Blood more or less full time now. Before he'd always seemed so small, and he almost seemed to try and shrink into himself. Now that he was at Camp, getting three full meals a day and working out on a regular basis, he'd really filled out. He had a lean muscular build now, like a cheetah. He also stood straighter now, a result of his vastly improved confidence. Even his black hair, which had once been shaggy and shrouded his face, was now short, making his face easier to see.

His clothes, too, reflected this change. Before his clothes had always been a bit large. Like everything else about his old look, Jason believed that it was so he could hide inside himself. Now, though, he wore black skinny jeans and a black Camp Half-Blood t-shirt (Jason didn't know they came in any other color than orange until he'd seen Nico in that shirt. Nico had apparently flat-out refused to wear the orange). Nico had even traded out his overlarge Aviator Jacket for a nice leather jacket.

Jason was happy for his friend. It was good to see that Nico finally felt like he belonged someplace. It had done wonders for his confidence. That and the realization that Will Solace liked him and the subsequent relationship had completely transformed Nico di Angelo. Jason had been worried about Nico during the Quest.

"I figured you could use some company," Nico said. "You've been in here for what? Six hours?"

Jason nodded, sighing. "It's all about tradition here. I'm dreading how long I'll have to stay in here praying when the next set of ten temples open."

Nico shuddered. "I'd rather be back trapped in that jar beneath Rome again. Not too much longer, though. Only a bit longer until the ceremony. Then you can head back to Camp Half-Blood."

Jason missed Camp Half-Blood. Although Camp Jupiter had been his home first, he felt more comfortable at Camp Half-Blood. He preferred the Greek style of doing things, and he wasn't constantly chafing under the rules there. Not to mention that heading back to Camp meant that he could see Piper again. She usually came with him on his many and frequent trips to New Rome, but unfortunately she'd had to stay behind this time. She'd promised to help Percy and Annabeth plan what Percy was calling, "The First Annual Very Jackson Christmas Party." The Saturnalia celebrations were fun and intense, but Jason wished that Piper had been able to come and experience them, too.

"You going to Percy's Christmas party?" Jason asked Nico, changing the subject. "I hear it's going to be a blast. And Annabeth and Piper are helping him, so it'll actually be fairly organized."

Nico chuckled. "Yeah, if Percy was running the whole thing by himself it would be a mess. But yeah, I was planning on coming. Will went home for couple weeks to see his family, so I'm completely open. Who all is coming? Do you know?"

"Piper and I," Jason said. "And Frank and Hazel. I think Rachel and Reyna are coming, too. Grover's coming. I don't know who else Percy invited."

"Lots of Half-Bloods," Nico observed. "We'll be sure to attract some monsters."

"Hopefully they'll give us Christmas off," Jason joked. "And besides, what monster is going to want to mess with that many demigods at once?"

Nico chuckled. "Fair point." The two friends fell silent for a few minutes. Nico spoke up again, "Hey man, I wanted to thank you."

Jason looked over at Nico, confused. "What for?"

"Just… being there," Nico explained. "I wasn't in a good place, and you were the first person who really understood who I was and not only accepted me, but pushed me to accept myself, too."

Jason smiled slightly. "Hey, it's no problem. What are friends for, right?"

Just then, the doors behind Jason started to creak open. Nico turned to him. "I'd better get out there. See you in a couple minutes, Pontifex Maximus." He turned and strode behind one of the columns and faded into the shadows. Jason turned to see the two people approaching him: Reyna and Frank. Both were dressed in their praetor armor, purple capes billowing behind them. Neither of them had changed all that much since the war had ended. Reyna was still intense, Frank still a teddy bear underneath his professional football player physique.

Frank smiled. "Ready, man?"

"I've been ready," Jason said, straightening his toga and adjusting his glasses. "Seriously, what is with the six hours of prayer?"

Reyna shrugged. "You know how we Romans are with traditions. Just be happy you didn't have to slaughter any animals."

"Or stuffed animals," Frank added as a joke.

Jason chuckled. "Fair enough." He stretched briefly. "Alright, let's get this show on the road."

Frank and Reyna led the way back to the doors. "Big crowd out there," Frank commented. "The whole legion is in attendance, and a lot of the citizens from the city are here, too."

"Not to mention all the Greeks that are here," Reyna added. She smiled slightly. "It's time to teach them how Romans party. Saturnalia begins as soon as this ceremony is over."

As the double doors opened, Jason's eyes were blasted with an intense beam of sunlight. He held up his hand to block out the glare. The sound of the crowd was deafening. Cheering and clapping dominated the entire hillside. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Jason looked around. A crowd of thousands was sprawled out across Temple Hill. Right in front of Jason was a podium with an attached microphone. Standing on either side of the double doors of the temple were the Legion's centurions, Hazel smiled as Jason and gave him a small wave. Rachel Dare was also standing nearby. She smiled slightly, but she didn't look very good. She had deep purple bags under her eyes, no doubt from the countless hours she'd been pouring into restoring the Sibylline Books. The power of prophecy still hadn't been restored. Next to Rachel there was an open spot, Reyna motioned Jason over there. Jason went to take his place. Reyna and Frank then strode up to the podium to begin the ceremony.

"Hey Rachel," Jason whispered as Reyna started talking.

"Good afternoon, Pontifex," she replied, yawning slightly. "How were the six hours of prayer?"

"Dull," Jason answered. "How are you doing? You look exhausted."

"I am exhausted," Rachel said. "Trying to get the prophecies out of Ella is like herding cats. I don't want to rush her, because she's entitled to her rest and her individuality. We're not going to force the information out of her. But still, sometimes I get really frustrated."

Jason nodded. "I understand. But you know, you should totally rest, too."

"Yeah, yeah," Rachel said. "I'll get some rest come Percy's Christmas party. Until then, I'm gonna keep working."

Jason wanted to say something else to assure Rachel that the world wouldn't end if she took a break, but just then Frank said into the microphone, "And now a few words from the Pontifex Maximus, Jason Grace."

Jason strode forward slowly and stood at the microphone. Public speaking was nothing new for him, but he was still a little nervous. He cleared his throat, and the sound echoed across the hillside. "Thank you all for coming here today," he began lamely. "Today is a day of celebration, but it's also a day to recommit ourselves to the work ahead of us. We are opening a brand new temple today in order to honor Poseidon's daughter, Kymompoleia. For too long, we have decided that only certain gods are worth our worship. This had led to fighting and jealousy amongst the gods. We almost lost two wars because of it. Many gods sided with the titans, and some gods even sided with Gaea. It's not because these gods are bad or vile or evil. No, it is because we failed to honor _all_ of the gods.

"Therefore, today we mark a beginning of a change. Today we open the first of many new temples here on Temple Hill. This is a cause for celebration. But today is more than just a celebration of our achievements. It's also a day to recommit ourselves to the task ahead. We cannot rest until _all_ the gods are honored, both here and at Camp Half-Blood. It won't be quick or easy, but I know that the Temple Project will usher in a new era of prosperity for our shared Greco-Roman heritage. Now let us go forth and praise all the gods!"

The crowd burst into applause, and Jason let out a deep breath. It was the largest crowd Jason had ever spoken to and he'd hit it out of the park. He stepped back as Rachel took the podium. He fell into line next to Reyna. She smiled at him. "Nice job, Jason."

"Thanks," Jason replied, still awash with relief at being done.

"How are things going at Camp Half-Blood?" Reyna asked quietly.

"Not too bad," Jason said. "Annabeth has given me innumerable designs for new temples and cabins, so I'll probably look over them when I get back."

"Ah, leave it until the new year," Reyna said. "Take a break for a couple of weeks."

" _You're_ telling _me_ to take a break?" Jason joked.

"Oh, shut up," Reyna retorted. They fell silent again as Rachel continued her speech. "You know, it's nice to just talk as friends again."

Jason had been thinking the same thing. Before he'd been kidnapped by Hera/Juno, Jason and Reyna had been best friends. Of course, Reyna had wanted to be more than friends, and that was where the problems came up. When Jason returned to Camp Jupiter with a girlfriend that had really strained their friendship. Things had been awkward between Jason and Reyna for a while. It was really nice that their friendship was getting back to normal.

There were more claps, and the massive crowd in front of the temple of Jupiter began to disperse. Rachel came over, smiling. "Saturnalia has officially begun. It's time for this oracle to get some well-earned fried foods before I get back to work."

Frank and Hazel congregated with them, too. "I would kill for some fried dough," Frank added.

Hazel wrinkled her nose. "I've never been a fan of that stuff. It's just bread with sugar on it. What's the big deal?"

Frank held his hand to his heart, wincing. "How could my own girlfriend say such a thing to me? You wound me!"

They all laughed. From down the steps, Jason heard a voice calling, "Jason!" He turned and saw Nico hurrying up the steps.

"Hey man!" he called. "We're going to get some fried food, you wanna join?"

" _I'd_ love to, but you can't," he said, frowning. "I just got a message from Camp Half-Blood. You and your girlfriend have received a mysterious summons. I'm afraid you've got yourself a quest. You're gonna have to hop on the next flight to New York."

Jason felt a massive frown appear on his face. Just great. It looked like the holiday season wasn't going to be quite as peaceful as Jason had hoped.

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 **AN: Alright that's it for today. See you tomorrow!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 2. I don't have a whole lot to tell you guys this time, so we'll get right on with the show. DFTBA!**

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Chapter 2

December 18th

One day later, Jason found himself aboard a 747, sitting next to Piper on a flight from JFK International Airport in New York to Heathrow International Airport in London. Jason had had a moment of panic when their bags went through the metal detectors. He was sure their swords would show up. But the Mist had worked wonders even on the security scanners. Jason bounced his leg nervously, waiting for takeoff. He turned to Piper, "Okay, run this whole thing by me one last time."

Piper sighed in exasperation, but even so kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "Calm down, Sparky. It's not like this is our first quest."

"It's our first one since the war ended," Jason said. "Please, Pipes, just run the details by me one last time."

"I told you, Hermes showed up at camp with an envelope addressed to me and you," Piper explained. "Inside were the plane tickets, passports, and a note saying 'Come to England. Find the True King's Sword.'"

"And that's it?" Jason asked.

" _Yes_ ," Piper reaffirmed. "I've already told you so. You've seen the note."

"Okay, okay," Jason said. "I'm sorry I'm being so weird about this."

"It's fine," Piper said. "Really, it is. But why, Jason? What's bothering you?"

Jason paused, considering his answer. At that moment, the flight attendant started doing the pre-takeoff safety briefing. Jason tuned it out as he thought about how to answer Piper. It took a while for him to put his thoughts together coherently, but that was okay because takeoff was always noisy and never a great time to talk.

Finally, things quieted down and Jason was able to speak. "It's just… this quest is weird. We don't have a prophecy, all we have is a mysterious summons. What if it's a trap? I mean… the war's only been over for a few months. And after what happened to Leo…" Jason couldn't go on. He still missed Leo a lot.

Piper put her hand over his. "Hey, listen to me. We got this. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Jason said. Piper kissed him softly and a warm tingly feeling spread through Jason's whole body. Gods of Olympus, he loved Piper. He still wasn't super comfortable with PDA, but for some reason the kiss she was giving him now didn't bother him at all. It filled him with calm and peace.

"Almighty Jupiter," Jason said softly when Piper pulled back. "What did I do to deserve someone as incredible as you?"

"Well that's an easy one, hero," she said. "You were you."

Jason laughed. "Is that all? More people should try being me. It's pretty awesome."

Piper rolled her eyes, but they danced in amusement. "I don't think anyone else could be you if they tried."

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An hour and a half later Piper was asleep, leaning against Jason's shoulder. Jason looked down at the sleeping form of his girlfriend and smiled. He really was the luckiest guy on the planet. Well, he would be if it weren't for the constant quests endangering their lives. Seriously, what was the deal with all of it? Jason just didn't understand why he and Piper couldn't have a break.

And what was the deal with the mysterious summons? Who had sent for them? Who was the "True King," and why did they need to recover his sword? England had had a lot of kings over the centuries. Most of the British monarchs were descended from the gods. But which king was the "true" one. And why did his sword matter?

Of course, the obvious thought had occurred to Jason, too: it was all a trap. Someone was luring Jason and Piper away from camp so they could kill them. It was entirely possible. They'd made a lot of enemies over the last year, not to mention all of the enemies Jason had made when he was in the Twelfth Legion. But if it really was a trap, why do it like this? What was the point of getting Jason and Piper on an airplane to England? Wouldn't it have been easier to lure them out somewhere near one of the camps? Far enough away so that help couldn't come, but not so far that it would be a hassle.

Jason sighed in frustration. Why were there never any easy answers? And it was getting harder and harder to focus. Jason's head started to nod. He was drifting off…

Suddenly, he was on horseback. Jason felt odd; taller, broader, and a whole lot heavier. It clicked pretty quickly in Jason's head that he was dreaming. But whose body was he in? He glanced around. He was riding along a trail in some woods. Around him were several other men, all dressed in chainmail and plate armor, just as he was. Hanging at Jason's side was longsword. It was stowed in its sheath, but Jason could tell by the hilt that it was an ornate sword. The hilt was made of silver with a huge ruby inset into the pommel.

"Are you sure about this, your grace?" the man to Jason's right said. He was wearing plate armor, too, though he seemed to be taller and more lithe than the man whose body Jason was inside. His face was very handsome. Although he, like everyone else around, had long hair and a beard, his seemed to be somewhat tamer. "Surely you know that this quest is a fool's errand?"

Jason chuckled. When he spoke, his voice was much deeper than Jason's and very gravelly. "Lancelot, my dearest friend, I know better than to believe in the truth of my goal," Jason found himself saying. "I know that I will not find what I'm leaving for. But you are wrong in saying that this is a fool's errand. I may not believe in the Christian God, but the populous does. Going on this quest will give them hope. It will make them content. Going on this quest is best for my people, and as King, it is my duty to do what is best for my people."

Lancelot frowned. "You are the King. You have no obligation to the _peasants_. And furthermore, should we not be trying to dissuade them from following the Christian God? Shouldn't we bring them around to obeying the true gods?"

"We've had this discussion, my friend," Jason said. "Unless the Mist were to disappear, there is no way to persuade the peasants that our gods are real. And if I were to openly try and convert peasants to our 'pagan' gods, there would be a revolt, I would be overthrown, and this country would be thrown into chaos. We have worked so hard to unite England, and even harder to unite our two factions." At those last words, it was like a storm cloud passed over Lancelot's face, but whoever Jason was inside, he didn't seem to notice. He just kept going. "We must do everything that is possible to keep the peace. If that means going on a wild goose chase to find the 'Holy Grail,' then that's what I'll do. Besides, who's to say the Christian God _isn't_ real? Who's to say ours is the only true religion?"

"If the Christian God were real, why would he not destroy our gods?" Lancelot asked. "You've read their ridiculous 'Holy Bible.' You know how much their God hates competition."

"Enough," Jason said firmly. "I have heard your objections and taken them into consideration. Now drop the matter."

Lancelot fell silent. Suddenly, the trees dropped away on either side of the trail. Down at the bottom of the hill was a small seaside village. Several ships were docked. The other knights rode past Jason's person and Lancelot.

Jason sighed. "I am sorry, my friend. I do not want to do this, but I must."

"You're King," Lancelot said. "You may do whatever you want."

"There's more to being a ruler than just doing what you want," Jason said. "I hope you'll discover that while I am gone." Jason held out his arm to Lancelot, who gripped it firmly. "Take care of England while I am gone."

"Farewell, your grace," Lancelot said. "I will do all in my power to rule your kingdom justly in your stead."

"Come now, Lancelot," Jason said. "How long have we known each other? Surely you've earned the right to call me by name."

Lancelot smiled thinly. Jason could tell that Lancelot couldn't be trusted, but the person whose body he was visiting clearly didn't. "As you wish," Lancelot said. "Farewell, Arthur. May the gods be with you."

* * *

Jason woke with a start. Everyone around him was screaming in terror. The oxygen masks had dropped down from overhead. Jason looked around, disoriented, but it was impossible to tell which direction was which. Everything was spinning. The overhead luggage racks had popped open and suitcases and backpacks were flying everywhere. Piper was trying to say something to him, but he couldn't make any sense of it. There was too much noise. Jason finally found the window. It was iced over, but he could see outside. The view out the window was constantly shifting and spinning. The plane's engines seemed to have failed, and now it was spinning out of control.

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 **AN: Oh no! What's going to happen? Check back tomorrow to find out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey there everyone! I'm back with Chapter 3. I hope you enjoy! DFTBA!**

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Chapter 3

December 18th

Hundreds of people screamed all around Jason as the 747 spun through the air and plummeted towards whatever was below them, either land or water. Piper was holding Jason's hand so hard that he was pretty sure she was breaking a few of his fingers.

As the falling plane lurched sideways due to the wind, a plan came to Jason with sudden clarity. "Piper!" Jason yelled, trying to raise his voice over the screams and clatter around them. Suddenly a person went flying past in the aisle. Clearly some people had not stayed buckled in. "Piper!" Jason yelled again.

Piper opened her mouth and yelled back, but it was so loud that Jason couldn't hear her. Still, reading her lips, he was pretty sure she'd asked "What?"

"We need to put all these people to sleep!" Jason yelled. He mimed along, hoping that Piper could piece together what he was trying to say despite the noise. "We've got to get you up to the flight attendant's microphone so you can put them to sleep with charmspeak!"

"How?" Piper yelled back, finally making her voice heard. "How do we get up there? If we unbuckle, we'll fly around like all this luggage." As she said that a suitcase smashed into the person across the aisle from them, knocking the poor woman unconscious. "Or like those people," she added, pointing to a guy in his mid-twenties who had just slammed into the ceiling over the aisle.

"Grab onto the edge of the luggage rack!" Jason answered. "I'll use my powers to stabilize you as much as I can!"

Piper nodded. "Okay, wish me luck!"

Jason leaned in and kissed her quickly. "Good luck!"

Piper took a deep breath and unbuckled. She instantly started floating to the ceiling. Jason thrust out his hands and surrounded Piper in a shell of air that he could control. Piper grabbed onto the edge of the luggage rack above and slowly started making her way forward. Jason leaned over to watch Piper's progress and keep the air shell around her operating effectively. Finally, Piper made it up to the mic station. Jason pulled out the pair of ear plugs he'd brought for takeoff and jammed them in. Piper began speaking into the mic. Jason watched as the people around him stopped screaming, started looking confused, yawned, then fell asleep.

Stage one of Jason's plan was complete. He unbuckled and climbed out into the aisle. As he made his way forward to where Piper was he pushed people out of the aisles and into open seats and strapped them in. Eventually he reached Piper. Piper yelled something at him that he couldn't hear through the ear plugs. Probably, "What next?"

Jason pulled off his glasses and handed them to Piper. He didn't want to lose those. He pointed to one of the open flight attendant chairs. "Get in that seat and strap yourself in!"

Piper did as Jason said. Jason leaned forward and kissed her again. "I love you." He wasn't sure if he'd get to say that again. What he was about to do could very easily kill them.

Jason turned around to the plane's exterior door. He tried to wrench it open, but it was locked shut, or jammed shut by the wind. Jason decided to try something else. He concentrated and outside there was a rumble of thunder. Lightning blasted open the door of the plane. Luggage was sucked out through the hole in the side of the plane, and Jason was sucked out with them.

The air around Jason was bitingly cold. He tumbled around wildly, trying to gain control over his flight. Hail and sleet slammed into Jason's skin and a couple hundred miles an hour. Finally, Jason got control over himself. He paused in mid-air and found the plane. It was spinning wildly. In seconds, it would break through the cloud level. Jason shot downward after it, flying faster than he'd ever flown before. He thrust out a hand, trying to stop the plane from spinning.

Very slowly he stopped the plane's spiral, but it was still falling fast in a steep nose dive. The front of the plane broke through the blanket of clouds, quickly followed by the rest. Jason wasn't sure if they were above land or water, but either way, there wasn't much time left. Time for the hardest part of the whole plan.

Jason tucked in his arms and dove even faster. He shot through the clouds. As he chased after the plane, a strange thought occurred to him. How had there been hail and sleet above the clouds? He shook the thought from his head. If he survived, he'd worry about that later.

Finally, he caught up with the plane. He slowed up so that he was flying the same speed as the 747 was falling, probably a couple hundred miles an hour. Already the stress of what he was doing was getting to him. His muscles were aching and a headache was building. This definitely wasn't going to end well.

Jason exhaled, then rolled sideways underneath the body of the plane. He grabbed onto the belly of the plane. Jason concentrated hard on the air shell he'd surrounded himself with to fly, then expanded it. Slowly, the air shell covered the bottom of the plane, then up the sides, until finally Jason had extended his control over the entire plane.

Jason was sure he screamed, but he was in such a blur of pain he could hardly tell. Exerting his air control over the entire plane was incredibly hard and painful. The plane would still crash, but hopefully Jason could slow the plan down enough to prevent any deaths.

Jason's entire body was in agony. As the plane continued to fall ever slightly slower each second, Jason began to make out the land below. They _were_ over land. Which Jason could only assume meant they'd made it to the British Isles. Features of the land below started to come into focus. They were falling over a forest. Quite a large forest for that matter. White snow covered the branches of the trees, which were getting frightfully close. They were getting closer to the ground. Jason knew he couldn't stay underneath the crashing plane much longer or he'd be flattened.

They were level with the treetops now. Branches snapped as the plane smashed into them. Entire trees were knocked over by the massive aircraft. Some branches whiplashed Jason, surely leaving him with some nasty bruises, welts, and cuts. The ground was so close, Jason could see footprints of deer in the snow, which was saying something considering he was nearsighted. He screamed, let go of the plane, and with a final burst of his powers, he rolled out from under the crash.

The slipstream around the plane buffeted Jason wildly. He couldn't see anything, but he could hear (his earplugs must have come out at some point) as the plane smashed into the ground with the most awful wrenching sound Jason had heard in his life. His feet hit the ground, but he pushed off, shooting back into the air to orient himself. He found the plane's final resting place. The plane had created a massive trench in the ground until it had come to a stop about a hundred yards ahead. Jason flew slowly towards the plane, wobbling slightly as he struggled to maintain flight.

Jason landed with a stumble next to the hole he'd blown in the side of the plane. "Piper!" he called, his voice hoarse.

"Jason!" Piper screamed in relief. She leaped from the wreckage of the plane and ran towards Jason to embrace him.

Suddenly, Jason was overcome by a wave of nausea. He held out a hand toward Piper, hoping she got the message and stopped, then proceeded to puke his guts out all over the ground. He panted heavily as the first wave of puke ended. He was vaguely aware of Piper rubbing his back soothingly, but he was too busy puking again to express his gratitude. After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, Jason had managed to get even his dry heaves under control. He stumbled away from his pond of vomit and sat down hard on the ground, exhausted.

Piper had disappeared. Jason was about to call out when she suddenly reappeared, toting their bags from the plane. She bent down next to Jason, a look of worry on her face. "You okay, Superman?"

Jason chuckled weakly. "I've been better."

"Do you need another minute? The mortals are starting to wake back up, and I figure we should be out of here by the time they come to. I can put them back to sleep if you need to rest."

"No, let's go," Jason croaked. With a lot of help from Piper, he managed to climb to his feet. "Did everyone make it?"

"As far as I can tell, no one died," Piper said, smiling slightly. "You did well, hero."

Jason nodded and turned. He almost lost his balance, but Piper pulled his arm over her shoulders and half carried him away from the plane wreckage. Jason felt bad for needing Piper's help to just walk. He was the son of Jupiter for crying out loud! But his Superman act had drained him more than anything he'd ever done before. He glanced over at his girlfriend, who was not only carrying him for all intents and purposes, but was also carrying their bags and keeping a level head to really take charge. "Pipes, you're incredible," Jason said as they staggered onwards into the woods away from the wreck.

"I'm incredible? I'm not the one who carried a freaking plane."

"But you're the one who's taking care of the idiot who tried to," Jason responded.

Piper stopped and looked at Jason. "What you did was one of the bravest things I've ever seen anyone do. You were truly incredible tonight, Jason. And I love you." She kissed him hard. Jason figured he tasted like vomit, but Piper didn't seem to mind. Jason felt calm again, just like he had back on the plane when Piper had kissed him then. When they finally broke apart, Jason was as winded as he'd been after puking, but for totally different reasons.

The look on Jason's face must've been pretty priceless, because Piper giggled. After a few seconds Jason chuckled, too, and he was finally hit with the relief that he'd actually survived. He'd half expected catching the plane to kill him, but somehow he'd made it, and now he and Piper were standing together. Sure, things didn't look great. They were stranded somewhere in the woods in Britain, on a quest that had already almost gotten them killed, but they were together.

"I think we've made it far enough from the wreckage," Piper said quietly after a couple minutes. "We should camp for the night so you can rest. We'll figure out where to go next in the morning."

Jason nodded. "Okay."

Piper moved Jason over to a tree for him to lean against, and then a few minutes later she'd managed to get a nice fire going. Piper sat down, then patted the spot on the ground in front of her. Jason sat down too, then leaned back, using her stomach as a pillow. Piper had pulled their bags close and pulled out one of the sweaters Jason had packed. She draped it over him like a blanket. "Get some sleep, alright?"

Jason yawned, his exhaustion quickly claiming him, but he wanted to talk about a couple of things before he fell asleep. "That plane crash was no accident," he managed to say groggily.

"No it wasn't," Piper agreed. "And I have an idea on who might've caused it. But you need to sleep. We can talk about this in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," Jason mumbled, his eyesight dimming. "Wake me up to take a watch. Don't be a hero."

"No promises," Piper said. She kissed the top of his head. "Goodnight, Superman."

* * *

 **AN: See you tomorrow!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys! Ready for the next chapter? Well here it is! DFTBA!**

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Chapter 4

December 19th

Again, Jason dreamed. He was back in the body of the Arthur guy he'd been in last time. He stood next to a horse atop a hill, looking down at a grey stone castle. "Home at last," he said with a contented sigh.

"Sire?" another man asked. Jason, or Arthur, rather, turned to see the man he was standing with. Shorter and somewhat wider than Arthur, he nevertheless carried a longsword too. "Is everything alright?"

"I merely wonder how things have changed," Arthur said. "It has been far too long since I was last at Camelot." Jason felt a ping of recognition go off in his head. _Camelot_. Arthur climbed atop his horse, as did his companion. "Come, let us go."

Together they rode down the hill to the castle's drawbridge. Horns sounded as they approached. Two young boys ran out from the castle's gate and met them. "May we take your horses, milords?" one of them asked.

"Yes," Arthur said, jumping down from his horse. His companion did so as well. The boys took the horses inside the castle gate, and a well-groomed man came out. "Hello, Sir Galahad, Arthur Pendragon, welcome back to Camelot. King Lancelot is expecting you in the throne room."

Jason felt Arthur's eyebrows shoot up. " _King_ Lancelot?"

The greeter looked uncomfortable, but he beckoned Arthur and Galahad onward. He led them through the castle's courtyard and into a large stone building in the back. Inside was a high room, filled with tapestries, an ornate red carpet covering the floor. At the end of the room were two chairs. One was slightly farther forward and to the right. That one was empty. The other chair was larger, and carved ornately. Sitting in that one, which could only be the throne, was Lancelot, a crown perched atop his head.

Arthur strode forward briskly. Lancelot smiled coldly. "Arthur, welcome back to England. Typically one bows before the King, but I suppose I'll make an exception in your case."

"What is this treachery?" Arthur spat, coming to a stop just ten feet away from Lancelot. "You were to rule England as its _steward_ in my absence, not take the bloody throne from me!"

Lancelot laughed a high, cold laugh that reminded Jason of Octavian. "Treachery?" Lancelot said incredulously. " _You_ are the traitor. You went gallivanting off to Judah in search of the ridiculous 'Holy Grail.' You betrayed our gods for the Christian one."

"I did not!" Arthur protested. "I left to give the peasants hope, to give them something to cheer for!"

Lancelot ignored Arthur and just kept ranting. "And you always treated your wife horribly. The way you treated her was no way to treat a daughter of Venus –"

"You took Guinevere from me, too?" Arthur asked. "Have you no shame?"

Again, Lancelot ignored him. "To think that a Graecus scum like you untied England has always disgusted me. But I am intelligent and very patient. I waited for my opening to take my true place on the throne."

"You are arrogant!" Arthur yelled. "I had finally brought peace to England, but more importantly, I had finally brought peace between Greek demigods and Roman demigods! You would throw all that away?"

"I am throwing nothing away," Lancelot spat. "You think you united the Greeks and Romans, but you are wrong. We Romans _never_ truly accepted your rule."

"We're brothers, Lancelot," Arthur pleaded. "Please, do not do this."

"I've already done it," Lancelot growled. "And you are no brother of mine, Son of Zeus. You are a Graecus scum who has perverted the true nature of our father. I am the son of _Jupiter_ , and the true King."

"If you are the true King, then why did Excalibur choose me?" Arthur asked quietly.

At this, Lancelot looked uncomfortable. "Surely once I kill you the blade will rightfully be mine."

Jason felt Arthur raise an eyebrow again. "You want a fight, Lancelot? A chance to kill me?" He drew his longsword and held it in front of him, pointed firmly at Lancelot. The blade itself was incredibly odd. Jason had never seen a sword like it before. The blade was two different shades. Half was bronze, half gold. The sword made a very faint humming sound, as if the two metals didn't get along.

Lancelot sneered and stood up, drawing a sword of his own. Suddenly, the dream faded.

* * *

Jason opened his eyes, disoriented. Pink light was peeking through the branches above him, like the sun was just coming up. The air was chilly, but Jason felt plenty warm. He realized he was still using Piper as a pillow. He glanced up at her. She was reading the book she'd brought with her on the trip: Sally Jackson's first novel.

"How is it?" Jason asked.

Piper looked down at him in surprise. "You're up!" she observed. Jason sat up and turned to peck her on the lips. Then he scooted around so he was sitting next to her. "The book is really good," Piper said, in answer to his previous question. "Also, when I reached into my bag to pull it out, I found this." She handed him an envelope. Jason glanced inside. There were two bus tickets from a town called Chepstow to London, a hotel reservation, and two hundred pounds. Jason had never heard of a place called Chepstow, but he figured it was close by.

"Another gift from the person who summoned us?" he mused.

"It would appear so," Piper said. "No note this time, just the money, the tickets, and the reservation." Piper yawned widely, her breath coming out in a puff of mist.

Jason frowned. "You shouldn't have stayed up all night. You should've let me take a watch."

"After you stopped a freaking plane crash?" Piper said, cocking an eyebrow. "No, I was going to let you sleep as much as you needed to."

"I didn't _stop_ the plane crash," Jason protested. "I just slowed the plane down."

"Oh shut up, Sparky," she teased. "You know what I meant." She kissed him again, and once again Jason's brain went fuzzy. Piper always managed to do that. "Speaking of the crash," Piper continued, "we should probably send Annabeth an Iris Message to let her know we're okay before the crash hits the news in America."

Jason nodded, pulling the prism they'd brought with them for just such occasions out of his backpack. After fiddling around with the angle for a couple minutes, they finally got a good rainbow going. Piper fished in her pocket and pulled out a golden Drachma. "Oh Iris, accept my offering," she said, tossing the coin into the rainbow. "Annabeth Chase, New York City."

The rainbow shimmered and the scene came into focus, a scene which made both Jason and Piper blush hard. They had totally forgotten the time difference. It was the middle of the night back in New York.

Through the rainbow they could see Percy's room. Annabeth lay on his bed, facing them through the rainbow, fast asleep. Percy lay next to her, his arm wrapped around her midsection. But perhaps the most embarrassing part was that the covers must've been pushed back in the night, revealing that Annabeth was wearing only a sports bra and athletic shorts, her hair loose and disheveled. Beyond her, Jason could tell that Percy was shirtless. He'd known that Annabeth had moved in with Percy and his family after camp had ended, but he wasn't aware that she'd moved into Percy's room as well.

"Um… maybe we should call back later," Jason whispered.

Unfortunately, even the quiet voice was loud enough to wake Annabeth. Her eyes fluttered open. She looked confused. "Jason? Piper? What's up?"

"We'll just call back later," Piper said quickly.

Annabeth shook her head. She pushed Percy's arm off her and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "No, it's fine. What's up? Why are you guys blushing?"

Piper and Jason could only respond with, "Uh…"

Annabeth looked at them quizzically, then looked down at herself. Her face lit up red. "Oh, no, it's uh… It's not what it… We didn't… It's not what it looks like," she stammered. "Percy and I, we can't… it's difficult…" She cleared her throat. "I'm just going to shut up now and let you tell me why you called."

Piper and Jason recounted what had happened on the plane, camping out in the woods, and discovering the envelope. The look on Annabeth's face went from embarrassed to thoughtful.

"You don't think it's all a trap, do you?" Jason asked. "You don't think that the person who knocked us out of the air is the same person who summoned us?"

Annabeth rubbed her chin. "Maybe, but I don't know. I feel like they're giving you too much help to want you dead. Whoever made that plane crash happen is someone different. I don't want to say any names, because you know how gods and monsters are with names, but I have an idea who might have knocked you out of the sky."

"Me too," Piper said.

Jason felt like he'd figured it out, too, but he could hardly believe that anyone, even a goddess, would be so freaking persistent.

"Well, thanks, Annabeth," Piper said. "We really just wanted to let you know we hadn't died before the plane crash ended up on the news. We'll let you get back to sleep."

"Wait a second," Jason said, thinking about his dreams. He knew they were important to the quest. "What can you tell me about the legend of King Arthur?"

Both Piper and Annabeth glanced at Jason, confused. Nevertheless, Annabeth answered. "It depends on what version of the legend you look at. In the most popular version of the story he's the son of a man called Uther Pendragon. He claims the legendary sword, Excalibur, when he grows up, then unites all of England. He gathers together a bunch of knights who join his court at Camelot. In some versions of the story, he goes on a quest to retrieve the Holy Grail. While he's gone he leaves his friend Lancelot in charge of the kingdom. But Lancelot betrays him, proclaims himself king, and steals Arthur's wife. When Arthur returns, they go to war and kill each other in the final battle."

"Was King Arthur real?" Jason asked.

"Hard to say," Annabeth said slowly. "Most historians don't think so, but some people think he might've been real, just because all myth has a basis in reality. Why the sudden interest in King Arthur?"

"I think I've been having dreams about him," Jason said.

"Really?" Annabeth and Piper asked at once.

"Yeah, I only just started having them," Jason explained. "I had my first one on the plane before the crash, and another one just now before I woke up."

"What are the dreams like?" Annabeth asked. "What happens in them?"

"In the dreams I'm inside Arthur's body," Jason explained. "It seems like my dreams have followed pretty much the version of the story you just told us. Arthur goes on a quest for the Holy Grail, Lancelot betrays him while he's gone, and so forth. The only difference is, in the dreams, both Arthur and Lancelot are demigods. Arthur is a son of Zeus, and Lancelot is a son of Jupiter. I guess Arthur not only united England, but also tried to unite the Greeks and Romans. But it didn't work out very well. I guess Lancelot and the other Romans in Arthur's kingdom never really accepted his rule."

"No, a long term peace would've been impossible before I retrieved the Athena Parthenos," Annabeth mused, a well-deserved look of pride crossing her face. "Well Arthur must've been real, then. And I would bet you anything that the 'True King's Sword' mentioned in that note you got is Excalibur."

"But who summoned us?" Piper asked.

"And why do we need to retrieve Excalibur?" Jason added.

"Hard to say," Annabeth said. "It could be –" She cut off as Percy screamed next to her. He started shaking violently. Annabeth turned white as a sheet and turned to Percy, who was thrashing wildly. "Wake up," she said. "Seaweed Brain, wake up, it's just a dream!"

The glass of water on the nightstand shattered as the water in it surged outward. Jason and Piper looked at each other in horror. This explained why Percy and Annabeth had been sleeping together. Percy was having what could only be a night terror.

There was a crash nearby where Jason and Piper were. Jason glanced towards the noise, and saw in-between the trees a small creek. The creek was rising out of its bed, thrashing in unison with Percy. Jason's jaw dropped. Percy was controlling water thousands of miles away through an Iris Message. In his sleep.

Percy screamed again. Annabeth kept pleading for him to wake up, but with no luck. She turned back to the Iris Message, fear etched on her face. "I've got to go," she said urgently. She swiped her hand through the image and it disappeared. The creek fell back into place.

Jason and Piper glanced at each other, scared. "I knew that Tartarus had an effect on both of them," Piper said quietly, "but I didn't know…"

"I know," Jason agreed. "That was… scary."

Piper nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about what had just happened. Finally, Piper said, "We should probably get going. We've got to find this Chepstow place so we can catch our bus."

"You won't be catching any bus," an unfamiliar voice said. "Not if we have anything to say about it."

* * *

 **AN: Gasp! See you guys tomorrow!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey guys! I'm back yet again with the next chapter. Before I get started, there was a question left in a review that I'll go ahead and address. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in a review and I'll address it in my next author's note.**

 **nskunda74 asked: "Have you thought about weaving leo coming back into any of your stories?"  
Answer: As a matter of fact, yes I have, and I have a very specific plan for how and when I'm going to do so. But spoilers.**

 **Alright, that's it from me. Enjoy the chapter! DFTBA!**

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Chapter 5

December 19th

Jason looked up and found a semi-circle of five figures in front of them. They all had greyish skin that was missing in places, like ghouls. They were dressed in chainmail and tunics, and all were armed with swords, which they had levelled at Jason and Piper. Jason glanced at their bags. Like idiots, he and Piper hadn't pulled out their swords earlier, just in case of an attack. Getting into their bags to grab their swords would take too much time. They'd be dead before you could say "oops."

Jason and Piper stood up slowly, hands raised above their heads. The only option they had was to talk, it seemed. Piper had come to the same conclusion. She opened her mouth, and when she spoke, her voice was heavy with charmspeak. "You boys don't want to get in our way. You'd rather let us go."

One of the ghouls, clearly the leader of the group, sneered. "Your charmspeak does not work on us, girl. Our minds have been trained to resist it."

Jason grimaced. One escape plan foiled. "What do you want with us, then?" Jason asked. "And why aren't you in the Underworld, because you guys are definitely dead."

The leader of the ghouls smiled creepily. "You may have defeated Gaea, but did you really think that meant the dead would just return to the Underworld? Many of us are still up and about throughout the world, but now that our Mistress is gone, we serve our own agendas."

Well that answered one question. It had never occurred to Jason that there were still people who'd come back through the Doors of Death lurking all over the world. Still, he supposed it made sense. They wouldn't go willingly to the Underworld, especially since working with Gaea would earn them a one-way ticket to the Fields of Punishment. However, the ghouls hadn't answered his other question. "So what do you want with us?"

"We have been sent to kill you," the head ghoul spoke. The other four tightened their grip on their swords. "Our King and Queen want you dead. So dead you shall be."

The five ghouls advanced. They had only a few milliseconds. Jason shot Piper a look, trying to communicate his new plan silently. He knew it was stupid. After all, he was still drained from catching the airplane. Nevertheless, Jason yelled, raising his hand to the sky. Thunder rumbled, and a bolt of white lightning shot straight down at Jason. Usually he had a weapon with which to redirect the blast, but this time his body was the conductor. Jason's hair stood on end and it felt like every molecule in his body was vibrating. Jason pointed his other hand towards the ghouls and shot the electricity out of his fingertips, just like the Emperor from Star Wars.

One of the ghouls was vaporized. The other four were blasted back. Jason dropped to his knees, desperately trying not to pass out. Luckily, Piper had apparently gotten his message. Suddenly, she was right in front of him, swinging her jagged celestial bronze sword in a deadly arc, single-handedly holding off the other four ghouls. Gods, she was perfect.

Still, Jason knew that he should help. With a surge of effort, Jason lunged for his bag and pulled out his imperial gold gladius. He pulled himself to his feet and with a flick turned his sword into lance mode.

Jason entered the fray. He swung the javelin around, catching one of the ghouls by surprise and vaporizing him. Piper managed to get inside another's strike and turned him to dust, too. Now it was two-on-two. One of the remaining ghouls was the leader. Jason turned his weapon back to sword mode, then he and Piper engaged the last two ghouls in unison.

The swords clashed together in a flurry of motion. Sparks flew everywhere. Then it was suddenly over. Piper disarmed her opponent. Literally. She sliced off his sword arm, then plunged her sword through the ghouls chest. He burst apart.

Jason swung his leg out, knocking over his opponent, the ghouls' leader, and kicked his sword out of the way. Jason planted one of his knees on the ghouls chest and held his sword against the ghoul's throat.

"You mentioned something about a King and Queen," Jason growled. "Who do you work for?"

"Why should I tell you?" the ghoul asked. "You're going to kill me anyway."

Jason lifted his sword and slammed the hilt into the ghoul's forehead, prompting a yelp of pain from the monster. "It's true, I will kill you anyway, but your death can either be quick or long and painful. Which will it be?" The ghoul didn't answer quickly enough for Jason, so using his free hand he grabbed one of his opponent's arms and twisted it hard. There was a snapping sound as bones broke. The ghoul screamed in pain.

"Jason!" Piper cried out.

"Which will it be?!" Jason yelled into the ghoul's face. "Who do you work for?!"

"Lancelot," the ghoul said. "I work for Lancelot."

"Thanks," Jason spat. He slit the ghoul's throat. He dissolved slowly, until there was nothing but a pile of monster powder. Jason panted and sat down hard.

"What was all that?" Piper asked, kneeling in front of Jason, a look of worry and a little fear on her face. Jason felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't meant to scare her with his intensity.

"I'm just sick of it," Jason said. "I'm sick of people trying to hurt me and the people I care about. I know I don't talk about it much, but Percy and Annabeth weren't the only ones who fought in the Titan War. I did too. The Romans freaking invaded Mt. Othrys. And we just got through the war with Gaea. We lost Leo because of that war. I mean… why can't we just have a break?"

Piper wrapped her arms around Jason, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm frustrated and tired of all this, too. But that's just our life. We're demigods."

Jason sniffed. "I know, but it's still not fair."

They stayed hugging for a few minutes until Jason could pull himself together. When they pulled apart, Jason cleared his throat. "I'm sorry Pipes. We've got to go find our bus, don't we?"

Piper chuckled slightly. "Probably a good idea."

They stood together and hoisted their bags. They kept their weapons at the ready, though, just in case, then they strode off through the woods, trying to find the town called Chepstow so they could catch their bus.

* * *

 **AN: See you guys tomorrow!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey guys! So I know that I'm posting this a bit later than usual, but as promised, here is the next chapter of the story. Enjoy! DFTBA!**

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Chapter 6

December 19th

Jason and Piper followed the nearby creek to a larger stream. The stream eventually flowed by a castle situated right next to a town. They'd made it to Chepstow. After wandering around the town for about half an hour, they found the bus they were supposed to take right outside the castle they'd seen upon arrival in the town. It was a tourist bus. It took a few minutes and a bit of charmspeak, but Jason and Piper managed to convince the tour leader that they'd been with the group the entire time. Soon they were on board and headed to London.

A lot of the tourists talked about the nearby plane crash, but Jason and Piper didn't engage in the conversation. They'd been up close and personal with that plane crash and wanted nothing to do with it anymore.

Piper got some well-deserved sleep on Jason's shoulder, leaving him alone with his thoughts. As the countryside went by, Jason couldn't help but ponder how many of those who'd been let out of the Doors of Death were still roaming the world. He thought of all of those formerly dead people he'd fought over the past year, all the way back to Medea. Were they loose? Had Gaea released them back into the world after he, Leo, and Piper had defeated them? And who else was still loose in the mortal world? What terrible figures were still out there, escaping death and staying in the world of the living? He'd have to talk to Nico when they got back from the quest. Maybe the son of Hades would have some insight into this particular problem.

At around one in the afternoon, they crossed a bridge which informed them they were officially in England. Jason was confused for a minute until he figured out that Cheptstow was in Wales.

As they got closer and closer to London, Jason found himself thinking about Lancelot. A son of Jupiter if his dreams were accurate. His brother. Gaea had brought him back to life but now that she wasn't in the picture anymore, Lancelot was obviously pursuing his own goals. But what _were_ his goals? What did a medieval knight still have to gain after so many centuries?

 _Surely once I kill you the blade will rightfully be mine_ , he'd said. The sword: Excalibur. Was that what Lancelot was after? Was Lancelot so obsessed with Excalibur that he'd come back from the dead just to retrieve it? It made sense considering the quest summons: _Come to England. Find the True King's Sword._ If Excalibur was the "True King's Sword," then Jason was supposed to find it. Maybe he was supposed to prevent Lancelot from getting a hold of it. But why? And who had summoned him and Piper? And why was Lancelot so obsessed with a damn sword?

 _Maybe he's a Mania_ , Jason thought. That was a very real possibility. It made some sense too, especially considering who had knocked their plane out of the sky. Jason was absolutely convinced he knew who'd done it. He couldn't believe that she was still trying to kill him and Piper after so much time, but she was clearly obsessed. It made a lot of sense then that she would team up with Lancelot. She had a single-minded obsession just like Lancelot. Yet their obsessions didn't necessarily overlap.

 _Unless she's the one who summoned us_. Yet Jason wasn't entirely sold on that idea. If that had been the case, why would she continue to help he and Piper? No, someone else had summoned them, which meant that she somehow knew in advance that he and Piper would be called upon to retrieve Excalibur. But how? It wasn't like the gift of prophecy was working anymore anyway.

Jason sighed in annoyance and frustration. Things were way too confusing. He wondered if things would ever be simple. But, as Piper had said, they _were_ demigods, which meant that things would probably always be complicated for them.

It was mid-afternoon when they finally arrived in London. The bus pulled to a halt outside the Baker Street Underground station. Jason nudged Piper gently awake. "Hey there, Pipes," he said softly. "We're here."

"Mmm," Piper responded, yawning as she woke up.

"Let's go check into our hotel, okay?" Jason suggested.

Piper nodded groggily. Slowly, the two of them stood and grabbed their bags. They departed the bus and stepped down onto the busy streets of London. Piper snapped awake quickly. "Wow!" she exclaimed, grabbing Jason's hand. "Do you realize where we are?"

"London," Jason said stupidly.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, captain obvious. But what street are we on?"

Jason glanced at the nearby Underground station. "Uh… Baker Street?"

Piper nodded excitedly, but Jason still didn't get it. What was the big deal about Baker Street? Had something important happened here? "This is the street where Sherlock Holmes lives," Piper finally explained.

"Sherlock Holmes is real?"

Piper facepalmed. "No, doofus, but in the books, movies, and TV shows he lives on Baker Street."

"Oh," Jason said. He didn't see what the big deal was, but Piper loved stories of every kind. Nevertheless, Jason couldn't help but smile as he realized he was alone in London with his girlfriend. Sure, they were on a deadly quest, but they were together in _London_.

Piper kissed him on the cheek. "I know, it's pretty awesome to be in London with you," she said, reading his mind. "But we should probably stop standing here like morons and go find out hotel."

So off they went. Their hotel was the Dorset Square Hotel, and it turned out to only be a block from the Baker Street Underground station. When they showed their reservation to the receptionist he looked over it somewhat skeptically. "You two seem a little young to have a room booked for yourselves," he said.

"No we don't," Piper said, imbuing her voice with charmspeak. Instantly, the receptionist forgot his problems and showed them to their room. It was a very nice room, with big windows, a plasma screen TV, and even a hot tub in the bathroom. The only problem Jason could see was that there was only one bed.

Still, he decided to be a gentleman. "I suppose I can sleep on the floor," he said.

Piper looked at him like he had two heads. "No, you're not sleeping on the floor."

"Well you shouldn't sleep on the floor," Jason protested.

"No, I'm not sleeping on the floor either," Piper said.

"Then… oh." Jason finally realized what Piper was saying and he blushed. "Are you sure…?"

Piper rolled her eyes, but she kissed him softly. "It's just the two of us," she said when they pulled apart. "There's no reason we can't share a bed. It's not like anyone will know. Besides, you practically slept on top of me all night last night."

Jason conceded her point. In fact, he realized he was pretty excited. He'd never actually slept in the same _bed_ as his girlfriend before. It wasn't an opportunity either of them ever really got at Camp Half-Blood. Still, he was sort of nervous about it. He'd done a lot to become more like a Greek, but he still had the sense of propriety that had been drilled into his head since day one at Camp Jupiter.

Piper broke him out of his thoughts, "I'm sorry, we don't have to sleep in the same bed if you don't want to, I just thought it would be nice since it's just the two of us and all…"

Jason cut her off by kissing her. They stumbled backwards, keeping their lips locked together and fell onto the bed.

* * *

Later that night Jason lay next to Piper, his arm wrapped around her, just listening to her breathing as she slept. Cuddling next to her was one of the greatest feelings he'd ever had. They hadn't _done_ anything, and that was more than okay with Jason. He wasn't sure he was ready for _that_ yet. But just lying next to Piper was honestly more incredible than anything Jason had experienced before. They'd had a truly great evening; they'd gone to a semi-fancy restaurant for dinner and even gotten in a couple hours of sight-seeing before coming back to the room to sleep. It had almost been like they were a normal couple on a vacation in London.

Yet Jason knew it wouldn't last. The next day they'd continue their quest. Either they would get another envelope from whoever summoned them or else they'd have to fight some more of Lancelot's henchmen or maybe they'd even get a hint on where to go next in a dream. Whatever the case, Jason knew that that evening had been the calm before the storm. It was just a feeling, but he had learned to trust his feelings.

He shook the thoughts from his head and just focused on the rhythm of Piper's breathing. Slowly, her breath lulled him to sleep. Of course, he had another dream.

* * *

 **AN: And that's it for me today! I'll see you guys tomorrow!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey guys! I'm back again.I would like to address one review before we get started. This one was from a guest named Matt.**

 **"These versions of Piper and Jason are stupid, I mean it's SO obvious how that ice got there!"  
In response to this, I'd like to say that they did figure it out, and if you look at the last couple chapters again, you should see that. It's just that neither of them wants to say the name out loud because names have power.**

 **Alright, that's all from me. Enjoy the chapter. DFTBA!**

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Chapter 7

December 20th

Jason was back inside King Arthur's body. He was standing inside a canvas tent, looking over a map with several others. Everyone was dressed in full plate armor, longswords strapped to their waists. Everyone around him looked grim. The man that had returned to Camelot with Arthur, Galahad, was speaking. "Fortunately, we hold the high ground," he explained, pointing to the map. "Our catapults are in place, and our archers are in prime position. The only choice Lancelot and his army have would be to charge straight up the mountain into our archers and catapults."

"And if they make it to the top?" one of the other men asked. "Their numbers are far greater than ours."

"Waiting just over the crest of the hill will be our infantry," Galahad explained. "If the enemy makes it to the top, our infantry will engage. Then our cavalry will sweep in and take them from the flank."

"What about their cavalry?" yet another one of the knights asked.

Galahad shifted. "Unfortunately, their cavalry is something of an uncertainty. It is hard to predict what they will do, as Lancelot will likely be riding with them, and he has always been unpredictable on the field of combat."

Arthur finally spoke up for the first time. "If Lancelot enters the fray, he is mine. His life is mine to take, no one else's."

"As you wish, sire," Galahad said.

* * *

The dream shifted. Jason was still inside Arthur's body, but it was clear that the battle had been raging for a while. All around Jason men and horses lay with ghastly wounds, screaming out in pain and agony. Small fires burned all across the hilltop. The sky was blood red. The remaining men were waling away at each other with swords, but Arthur wasn't paying any of the other fights any attention. His eyes were for his opponent only: Lancelot. The two men circled each other, swords pointed directly across. If the way Lancelot looked was any indicator, he and Arthur had been fighting for quite some time. Lancelot's face was bloody, his plate armor had gigantic slash marks in it.

"You see what your treachery has brought?!" Arthur yelled. "Do you see what your actions have done? You destroyed the peace we fought so hard to make!"

"I am fighting to take what is rightfully mine!" Lancelot yelled back. "The throne is mine, Graecus scum! And that sword _should_ be mine. Excalibur is my birthright! And once I kill you, it _will_ be mine!"

"We are brothers, Lancelot!" Arthur cried. "Stop this madness."

"I AM NOT YOUR BROTHER!" Lancelot roared. He leaped at Arthur, his sword swinging downward in a deadly arc. Arthur blocked the strike with Excalibur. Jason could feel Arthur's body tense with each move, anticipating each attack before it happened. He was good.

Their swords clashed in a flurry. Electricity gathered in the air around them as the two sons of the sky god fought each other. As their swords collided once more, the building static exploded between them, sending both Arthur and Lancelot flying. Jason could feel the agony of Arthur's body as he was knocked around inside his plate armor. Sparks flew across his sword and armor.

Arthur struggled to his feet, only to be knocked over by a powerful gust of wind from Lancelot. Arthur toppled over into the grass. Lancelot yelled in anger and hate and plunged his sword down at Arthur's. Jason watched in slow motion as the sword point got closer and closer to Arthur's face. Arthur cried out is desperation and shut his eyes. There was a massive crack of thunder, and a huge heat right in front of Arthur. Simultaneously, Jason felt as something sharp pierced the front of Arthur's throat. Arthur's eyes snapped open. He was choking. Lancelot's sword was implanted in his neck, and the heat of blood was all over his neck. But Lancelot was already dead. He'd been burnt to a crisp by the blast of lightning Arthur had summoned. His body had toppled on top of Arthur's. Arthur was losing consciousness. He tried to call out, but all he could make was a pathetic gasping sound.

* * *

Jason sat bolt upright, gasping for air. He clutched at his throat to make sure it was fine. Piper had snapped awake next to him. She looked at him with concern. "Jason?"

"Just a second," Jason gasped. He climbed out of their bed and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He splashed water on his face and looked in the mirror, examining himself to make sure he really was okay. His blond hair was a tangle from sleeping, but Jason was really worried about his throat. No puncture or slice. But he had felt as Arthur died, unable to breath and choking on his own blood. It had been the most horrible feeling Jason had ever experienced.

There was a knock at the bathroom door. "Jason, are you okay?"

Jason opened the door. Piper stood there looking extremely worried. Jason wrapped her in a hug and held her for a few minutes until his breathing had steadied. "Bad dream," Jason finally said, pulling back. "King Arthur again."

"What happened in the dream?" Piper asked. She and Jason moved back over to the bed. They both sat down on the edge. Jason stared straight ahead while Piper rubbed his back soothingly, looking right at his face.

"The dream showed the final fight between Arthur and Lancelot," Jason explained. "I was back in Arthur's body again. They basically killed each other right at the same time. But the way Arthur died… I got to experience it, Pipes. Lancelot stabbed him through the throat. It felt… awful." Piper didn't say anything, she just kept rubbing his back. Jason liked that. Nothing she could _say_ would make him feel better. Just being there for him was what Jason needed. He needed to feel present and alive.

After a few minutes, Jason looked at Piper. "Thanks," he said. "And I'm sorry that dream freaked me out so badly."

"You're welcome," Piper said. "And you don't need to apologize." She kissed him softly. "We all have bad dreams sometimes."

Jason nodded. Now that his initial feeling of shock and terror had ended, he was starting to fully process the dream. "Lancelot definitely wants Excalibur," he said. "I'm sure of it. I think that's the entire reason he came back to life. He wants that sword so badly, it's completely consumed him."

"Why does he want Excalibur so badly?" Piper asked.

Jason sighed. "I don't know. I think he feels like if he can claim Excalibur, truly claim it, then it will validate him. Raise him above Arthur. It's just a theory, but it seems fairly likely based off what I've seen."

"That does sound like a pretty good idea," Piper said.

"What time is it?" Jason asked. "I'd like to run this idea past our resident genius, see what she has to think."

Piper glanced at the clock. "Seven in the morning here. Annabeth and Percy are definitely still asleep."

"Alright, we'll contact them later, then," Jason said.

"There's something else," Piper said. She held up an envelope. "This was on the floor right inside the door. I noticed it when I got up to see how you were doing in the bathroom. I haven't opened it yet, but it's probably from our 'friend' again."

She handed over the envelope. Jason ripped it open. Inside was a Starbucks giftcard and a small slip of paper with an address for the nearest Starbucks. "I guess breakfast is on our patron, whoever they are."

"What's important about this particular Starbucks?" Piper asked, taking the address slip from him. She turned it over in her hands, revealing a time on the back: 9:00 AM.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Nine o' clock? Clearly there is someone or something that will be at that Starbucks in two hours."

"We'd better get ready, then," Piper said. She grabbed some clothes from her bag and went into the bathroom.

* * *

Two hours later, having showered and changed, Jason and Piper stood across the street from the very Starbucks they'd been summoned to. They glanced at each other, unsure what to expect. "Well, it's nine o' clock," Jason said.

"Yes it is," Piper said. "Time to find out what's so important about this Starbucks." She grabbed his hand, and together they crossed the street.

From the outside the Starbucks seemed completely ordinary. Hesitantly, Jason pushed open the door and they entered. At first he couldn't tell why this particular Starbucks was important. But then he heard the voice. It sent shivers up his spine. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin. "No way," he muttered. He looked at Piper, who was just as disbelieving. This wasn't possible. There was no way they could be hearing that voice.

Jason looked around frantically for the source. He found it. Across the restaurant, a couple sat across from each other. The girl was rather pretty, with caramel hair, but Jason didn't pay her any attention, because the boy sitting across from her captured his complete attention.

It just simply wasn't possible, but there he was. Curly dark hair, pointy ears, a mischievous look; even from across the restaurant Jason could see him bouncing his leg up and down rapidly. He hadn't noticed Jason and Piper yet, but they knew it was him. Jason looked at Piper again. Her hands were over her mouth, tears already falling from her eyes. Jason looked back across the restaurant. _This isn't possible_ , Jason thought. _He's dead. Nico felt him die._ Yet there he was, plain as day. It was Leo Valdez.

* * *

 **AN: Surprise! See you guys tomorrow.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Glad you guys enjoyed the return of Leo! So how will the reunion go? You'll have to read the chapter to find out. But first, I did have one question from a guest reviewer named Alexis.**

 **"What does dftba mean? I'm confused"  
Well, to answer your question, DFTBA stands for Don't Forget To Be Awesome. It's sort of the catch phrase for the online community called Nerdfighteria, which sprung up around the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel.**

 **Also, I'm sorry that I'm updating this at such a late hour. I had a pretty busy day, but I wanted to make sure this got up before I went to bed.**

 **Alright, that's enough from me. Enjoy the chapter! DFTBA!**

* * *

Chapter 8

December 20th

"How is this even possible?" Jason muttered, frozen stock still just inside the entrance of the Starbucks.

Piper was completely speechless, she just shook her head. "Hey!" yelled the cashier. "You two, move it. You're blocking the door." Several people in the restaurant looked over at the commotion, including the very person that had Jason and Piper so stunned. Several emotions flashed across Leo's face in rapid succession. Jason couldn't catch any of them, except for the last one: guilt.

"Are you deaf?" the cashier shouted. "Move!"

Slowly, Jason and Piper moved forward. With each step, they got a little bit faster, heading straight for Leo and his friend, whoever she was. Suddenly, Piper broke into a run. She knocked into a couple of people as she dashed across the cramped restaurant. Jason followed a bit more slowly, his emotions such a jumbled mess that he didn't know what to think.

Piper skidded to a stop right at Leo's table. "It's you," she said breathlessly. "It's… it's really you."

Leo cleared his throat and smiled. "Beauty Queen!" he said. "Good to see you!" He stood up and made to give her a hug. Piper slapped him across the face. Leo winced. "Probably deserved that."

"You think?!" Piper shouted. "You've been gone for _months_! We thought you were _dead_!"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Leo said, looking down. Jason finally made it to the table. Piper went to slap Leo again, but Jason caught her hand.

"Easy, Pipes," he said. "Let's not make more of a scene than we already have."

Leo smiled nervously at Jason. "Thanks man."

Jason raised his eyebrows. "Don't thank me yet, Valdez. You're not off the hook for disappearing on us just yet." Jason turned to the girl Leo was with and smiled slightly. She was pretty, with caramel hair braided over one shoulder, dark eyes, and milky skin. "Sorry about the intrusion. But it's nice to meet you. I'm Jason."

"Calypso," the girl responded. "It's nice to finally meet Leo's friends. He's told me a lot about you."

"Calypso," Piper muttered. "Oh my gods, he actually did it. He actually found you again."

Calypso smiled fondly at Leo. "Yeah, he did."

Leo smiled back, though it was a little strained. His eyes kept flicking over to Piper and Jason, like he wasn't sure if they were going to start hitting him. Honestly, Jason did kind of felt like punching him. Months without any news, and here he was? Just fine? "I'll uh… grab a couple more chairs?" Leo suggested.

He went over to an empty table nearby and pulled over two chairs for Jason and Piper. They all sat down. Leo looked over at his friends hesitantly. "I really did miss you guys."

"Then why didn't you let us know you were okay sooner?" Piper snapped.

"Okay, I can see you're still hung up on that," Leo said delicately.

"Don't get us wrong man, we're glad to see you," Jason said. "But right now we're a little bit pissed at you. So why don't you start from the beginning and tell us everything. Then, maybe, we'll let how happy we are to see you show."

Leo cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, it uh… It obviously started back before we fought Gaea, with the Physician's Cure. See, I knew you guys wouldn't like my plan, so I got Hazel and Frank to help me out with my deception. They understood the importance of me making that final sacrifice, and they knew the only way I could possibly hope to survive was if I had the Physician's Cure." Jason noticed that for once, Leo wasn't making any wise cracks. Clearly he understood the seriousness of the situation. Calypso, for her part, stayed quiet, letting Leo explain his actions.

"They told us that part after the battle," Piper said. "But how did you use it after the explosion?"

"Festus helped me with that," Leo explained. "See I was working on that project for a while, building him a new body framework within the hull of the Argo II. So when I got the Physician's Cure, I put it in Festus, and he revived me."

"So how did you find Calypso again, then?" Piper asked.

Leo looked over at Calypso and smiled. Jason looked between them. He was no child of Aphrodite, but he could tell Leo really loved her, and she loved him, too. "Well I knew I had to die because of the prophecy, and because no one has ever found Ogygia twice. But I figured I could use my death to go find her. I finished a device Odysseus was making before he died and integrated it into Festus. Then it was just a simple matter of Festus flying us there and reviving me once we got close."

"Still not hearing an explanation for why you didn't let us know you were alive sooner," Jason said.

Leo held up his hands in surrender. "Look, I can't really explain that. Calypso hadn't been off her island in thousands of years. I wanted to show her the world. That's what we've been doing the last few months."

"And you didn't think to stop back at Camp Half-Blood first, let us know you were okay?" Jason asked. "Or even just send an Iris Message? I mean, come on man!"

"I didn't contact you because I knew you'd be alright with me gone," Leo said, raising his voice and leaning forward. "Look, I love you guys and all, but let's be honest, you were always going to be fine without me. All of you had paired off. You two, Hazel and Frank, Percy and Annabeth," Jason noticed that Calypso tensed very slightly at the last pair, "and then there was me. The Repair Boy. The seventh wheel. You were always going to be fine without me. So forgive me if instead of rushing back to tell you guys I was okay, I decided to spend time with someone who actually makes me feel important."

Jason felt like he'd just been slapped in the face. Piper, too, looked like she was on the verge of tears. Leo sighed. "I'm sorry guys, that was… that was mean."

Calypso coughed awkwardly. "So what brings you guys to… what's the name of this city, again?"

"London, Sunshine," Leo said.

"Right, London," Calypso said. "What brings you guys to London? Not Leo, because you were surprised to see him."

"We're on a quest," Jason said.

"Another quest?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Jason said. "And we got sent here as part of it. I think you're supposed to help us."

"What could I possibly do to help you on your quest? I don't know anything about what you guys are up to."

"Remember that weird reading Festus got?" Calypso asked. "That's got to have something to do with it!"

"That's got to be it," Jason said. "Please, dude. Help us out. It'll be just like old times."

Leo frowned. "Oh yeah, because this meeting has gone _exactly_ like it would have before." He sighed. "Alright, let's go get Festus."

* * *

Leo led the way, chatting with Piper. "We really did miss you," Piper said. "It's good to see you again, Repair Boy."

"Good to see you, too, Beauty Queen," he said.

As they chatted, the ice between Leo and Piper slowly melted, but Jason wasn't quite ready to just let go of everything. He still had a bunch of mixed feelings, but he felt like he'd been betrayed. Leo had had some nerve not to tell them he was alive.

"Hey, Jason." It was Calypso. She'd fallen into step next to him behind Leo and Piper. "Listen, I know you're upset. And I totally get why. Not long ago I was angry and bitter because I'd been left behind." Jason still wasn't really sure on all the details about Calypso. He knew that Leo had met her on the quest, and he figured she had some sort of history involving Percy, but he wasn't sure of anything else beyond that. But she seemed nice, and he knew Leo was crazy about her. "And I know you're going to have a hard time forgiving him," Calypso continued quietly, so that Leo and Piper couldn't hear them, "but he really did want to tell you guys he was okay. He was just afraid."

"Afraid?" Jason asked incredulously. "Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of exactly what just happened," Calypso said. "Afraid that you'd freak out."

Jason felt kind of guilty when she said that, but he was still angry. "Well if he'd told us he was alive sooner and not just waited so long that we ran into him, then maybe Piper and I wouldn't have freaked out so bad."

"I'm not trying to say that your reaction was unjustified," Calypso replied. "I just want you to know how he feels. You know he's not very good at sharing his real emotions. And he was really afraid. He feels really guilty that he was never able to work up the courage to send you a message or something."

Jason sighed. "I know. I saw the guilt in his face. I get it. I just… I just need time."

Calypso nodded. "I understand. But you'll talk to him about it, won't you? When you're ready?"

"Yeah," Jason sighed. "Yeah, I suppose I will. Also, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Calypso asked.

"For making our first meeting so intense," he said. "Not exactly how I would've chosen to meet my best friend's girlfriend."

Before Calypso could respond, Leo said, "We're here!" Jason looked around at where "here" was. They were in a park. It was completely abandoned.

"I thought you said Festus was here?" Jason said.

"He is," Leo said. "I built a cloaking device for him. Here, watch a second." He turned around. "Festus, I'm home!" Suddenly Leo's bronze dragon shimmered to life in the middle of the park. He came charging over towards them, seemingly excited, making all sorts of creaking noises. "Yeah, I know, it's Jason and Piper," Leo said.

"Hey, Festus!" Piper said, going over to him and scratching the bronze dragon behind the ear.

Leo turned to Jason, grinning. "Pretty neat, huh? And Calypso used a bit of her magic to deter mortals from the area so they wouldn't accidentally bump into Festus."

"Impressive," Jason admitted. It was hard to maintain his icy exterior with Festus there, though. It was great to see the dragon again, all in one piece.

"Had to do a bunch of repairs on him," Leo explained. "Some of his plating melted during the fight with Gaea. But now he's better than ever, aren't you boy?"

Festus responded by spitting fire into the air.

"So what's this about Festus getting a weird reading?" Piper asked.

Festus made a bunch of creaking noises. "Yeah, buddy, I'll explain," Leo said to the dragon. "Festus said he got some strong magical readings off to the north. He got the readings when we first landed here a few days ago. It'll take us a couple hours to get there, but not too long. What are you guys looking for anyway?"

"We don't really know," Jason said. "I mean, a sword. Not just any sword, but a specific one. But beyond that, I don't know exactly what we're looking for. I don't know if the sword would be giving off any kind of strong magical reading, but it's the best lead we have. Would you be willing to take us?"

Leo hesitated for a second, but Calypso stepped in. "Of course we would," she said. She looked at Leo, and the two of them seemed to have a silent conversation.

Leo turned to Jason and forced a smile. "Yeah man. All aboard Happy the Dragon. Just like old times, eh?"

* * *

 **AN: Off to a rocky start. Will Jason, Leo, and Piper patch things over? You'll have to wait and find out. See you guys tomorrow!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey guys! Back once again! Enjoy the chapter! DFTBA!**

* * *

Chapter 9

December 20th

Jason sat in the back as they flew north. Piper and Calypso sat in the middle, Leo up front. Piper and Jason filled the other two in on their quest so far. Calypso and Piper also took the time to get to know each other, and they seemed to hit it off. Jason liked Calypso. He thought she was a good match for Leo. Her sweetness earlier belied her quick wit and sarcasm, and much of the flight north was spent with Piper laughing at some of the things Calypso said. Jason could see why Leo liked her so much.

Still, Leo was a whole other deal for Jason. He just couldn't bring himself to trust the son of Hephaestus anymore. What he'd done, or rather failed to do, had hurt Jason badly. Piper could tell. At one point she turned around and whispered to him, "You're being too harsh on Leo."

"I probably am," Jason whispered back. He sighed. "I just need time Pipes."

"Attention, this is your captain speaking," Leo called from the front. "We are starting our descent. Please make sure your seats are in the upright positions, and that your tray tables are locked up. I hope you have enjoyed flying with Air Valdez."

Suddenly, Festus spiraled into a dive, leaving Jason's stomach somewhere about a hundred feet behind. They were coming down over a forest. In the center of the woods was a bare hilltop. "Is that where Festus got the reading from?" he yelled.

"Sure is," Leo yelled back. "Don't know what's so special about that hill, but Festus is getting some pretty wacky magical readings from it."

"I am now, too," Calypso said. "I can sense… something. I'm not sure what it is, but there's definitely magic at work here."

Strangely, Jason could also feel something, right at the base of his skull. It was like a faint vibrating sensation. And it wasn't just Festus flying. It was something else. He'd never felt anything remotely like it before, but whatever it was, it was weird.

Festus touched down right on the side of the hill. All four of them leapt off the dragon's back. Leo jogged around to his head. "Good job, Festus. Wait here while we scope the area out. If you sense any mortals coming, go into cloaking mode." Festus made his creaking noises, which Jason could only assume meant "Sure thing."

Leo turned to the others. "Alright, peeps, what now? Sunshine, you think you can find _exactly_ where the magic is coming from."

Calypso frowned. "I'm not sure. I don't really have a specific lock on it."

"I do," Jason said. His friends looked at him in surprise. "I can feel whatever it is, too. I felt it as we were descending. As soon as I touched the ground, I knew where we had to go."

"But magic isn't one of your skills," Leo said. "Unless something's changed since I've been away."

"No, that hasn't changed," Jason said. "Though a lot has," he added, earning him a reproving glare from Piper and a guilty look from Leo. "But anyway," he continued, "I've never been particularly in tune with magic, but for some reason, I really feel this. The source is this way, come on. And weapons out, just in case."

He and Piper left their bags with Festus and pulled out their swords. Leo opened a compartment in Festus's leg and pulled out his tool belt. He strapped it around his waist. He pulled out his trusty sledgehammer. Calypso didn't have any weapon, but if she could do magic like she said, Jason was sure she'd be fine.

They walked around the crest of the hill and down a little bit to where there was a rocky outcropping. He squeezed between a couple of the rocks and found the entrance to a cave. "Here we are," he muttered. He led the way inside. It was a pretty small cave, but it was still rather dark. Leo set his hands ablaze, lighting up the small space with flickering orange light.

Jason walked around the small cave. The back wall in particular had some kind of draw to it, but he wasn't sure what that was about. "There's nothing here," Leo commented.

"I can see that," Jason replied stiffly. "Just give me a second." He approached the back wall again and put his hand against it. Suddenly, the stone all around Jason's hand glowed, then disappeared, revealing an entirely new part of the cave.

"Wow," Piper whispered.

Leo walked over and stood next to him. "Sorry I doubted you, man. There's definitely something fishy going down here. Well, not fishy. Percy's not around. But you know what I mean." Jason looked at him with a single raised eyebrow. "Not funny? Okay. That's fine. Let's just check out this new area."

The four of them entered the new room. Torches were hung in brackets all over the room. Leo tried them out. They still worked. Pretty soon the new room was lit well. It was a perfectly circular place with a high ceiling lost in darkness. The room was actually pretty big. Right in the center was a stone table of some kind, and on top of the table was a figure.

Jason approached slowly. "That's the source of the magic," he said. The figure was a man. He wore plate armor, but it wasn't just grey. It was designed very elegantly. It was, well, regal. Draped behind him was a white and gold cape. The man's face was very handsome, although he had a somewhat scruffy beard and long hair. His arms were crossed over his chest, and in his hands he held a sword, pointed straight down at his feet. Jason recognized the sword. The hilt was silver, with rubies set into it. The blade was half celestial bronze, half imperial gold. He could hear the blade humming very quietly. "No way," Jason muttered. It was King Arthur. His body hadn't decayed at all.

"Who's he?" Leo asked.

"It's King Arthur," Jason said. "But he died more than a thousand years ago. How is his body not dust?"

"The magic," Calypso said. "Somebody used magic to preserve this body, and seal this room. There's no way we should have been able to access it. How did we get in? And more importantly, who cast the spell?"

"Didn't King Arthur hang out with a wizard dude?" Leo said. "Gandalf? Dumbledore? Uh… oh yeah, Merlin!"

Jason stroked his chin. "I didn't see Arthur hanging out with any wizard in my dreams, but I guess he could've known a magician."

"Even if Merlin was real, it doesn't explain why he sealed this room," Piper said. "Or why we could get in."

"Well obviously it was Sparky, here," Leo said.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Valdez."

"I'm being dead serious," Leo replied. "You're the one who was able to find this cave. You're the one who opened this room. Clearly, you're somehow special. And if this is Arthur, then that's got to be his sword. Didn't you say the whole reason you were on this quest was for his sword?"

Jason looked at Excalibur. It did almost seem to be calling to him. But before he could touch it, a voice behind him called out, "Thank you so much for letting us in." Jason whirled around. Standing just inside the cave entrance were a group of the ghoul-knights that worked for Lancelot. The leader wore all black armor. "King Lancelot thought you might be able to get in, since the Lady in the Lake was sending you messages."

"The Lady in the Lake called for us?" Piper asked. "She's the one who wanted us to come on this quest?"

"Oh yes," the knight in black armor said. "She thought the King and Queen didn't know what she was doing, but they let her magic out to summon you here. At first, Lancelot just wanted to kill you, but then he realized that if the Lady was calling to you, then maybe you could actually open Arthur's tomb."

"And you needed to get in here to get to the sword," Jason said darkly.

"That's right. And he sent me, his best soldier, the Black Knight, to wait for you to let us in. Now, we'll kill you and take the sword back to Lancelot, its rightful master."

"Before you kill us, I just had a quick question," Leo said. "Are you really THE Black Knight?"

"Ah, so you have heard of me!" the Black Knight said. "I knew my legend would continue. I knew that I would be feared for centuries after my death!"

"I don't know about feared," Leo said. "But you are hilarious in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 'Your arm's off.' 'No it isn't.' 'I've had worse.' Man, that part gets me every time. I love that scene."

"Are you mocking me?" the Black Knight asked incredulously.

"Well the Pythons definitely did," Leo said. "Don't tell me none of you have seen that movie." Jason and Piper shook their heads.

"What's a movie?" Calypso asked.

"Enough of this!" spat the Black Knight. "Boy who mocked me, you shall be the first to die. Attack!"

He and his ghouls drew their weapons and charged.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, I'll see you guys tomorrow!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hey guys! Next chapter time! Enjoy! DFTBA!**

* * *

Chapter 10

December 20th

The miniature army of undead knights charged Jason and his friends, the Black Knight making straight for Leo. Jason flicked his sword, switching it to lance mode. As soon as the first ghoul got to him, Jason jumped into action.

He and his friends were all doing pretty well. Piper was keeping five ghouls at bay all on her own. Calypso was running around, dodging enemy blades. Whenever she had an opening she thrust out her hand and one of her opponents would transform into a flower. Leo was going toe to toe with the Black Knight, wielding his sledgehammer one handed and shooting fireballs with the other.

Jason, meanwhile, was dueling his own opponents with relative ease. Lancelot's army was rather less than impressive. He parried two strikes, then struck one of the ghouls between the eyes with the butt of his lance. He spun around and stabbed another one through the chest. He burst apart into powder.

Jason quickly ducked a strike that would've decapitated him and switched back to gladius mode. He slashed his sword across the ghoul's face, but he didn't even stay still long enough to watch the disintegration. He rolled away to the left, dodging several other lethal sword blows. He came to his feet, spinning and destroying the last two ghouls who'd gone after him.

He turned to see if any of his friends needed help, but Piper and Calypso were just finishing off the last of their opponents. Jason was sort of surprised by how good a fighter Calypso was. He wondered if she'd ever fought before.

The only enemy left standing was the Black Knight. He was actually a really skilled sword fighter. Jason could see that from watching him fight. Leo was doing well, but he was having trouble keeping up. Nevertheless, he continued to yell insults at the Black Knight in typical Leo fashion. "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!"

"Die you knave!" yelled the Black Knight.

Jason, Piper and Calypso all dashed over towards the fight to help Leo, surrounding the Black Knight. He looked around the circle of demigods, helpless, yet still determined to fight.

"Just give it up, Black Knight," Jason said. "It's over."

"Never," growled the Black Knight. "It isn't over until the boy dies."

"This boy ain't dying so easy," Leo retorted. He shot flames at the Black Knight, who deflected them off the flat of his blade. But that left him open to the twin sword strikes that Jason and Piper left him with. The Black Knight exploded into dust.

"Score! Leo and gang one, army of the undead zero," Leo cheered.

Jason ignored him and strode back over to King Arthur's body in the center of the room. "I just don't get it. Why does the Lady of the Lake want me to take this sword? Who even _is_ the Lady of the Lake?"

"She's the one who gave Arthur his sword," Piper said.

Jason frowned. "Annabeth didn't mention her."

Piper raised a singular eyebrow. "I know things, too."

Jason winced slightly, realizing the stupidity of his previous statement. Piper and Annabeth were best friends, that wasn't the issue. The issue was that Jason had inadvertently implied that Piper wasn't all that smart. "Sorry Pipes," he said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I just didn't realize you knew anything about the King Arthur legend."

"Dude, everyone knows who the Lady of the Lake is," Leo said. "Except you, apparently."

"I don't know who the Lady of the Lake is," Calypso put in. "And you said the word movie before. What's a movie?"

"Movies are those moving picture things I told you about," Leo explained briefly.

"Oh, okay," Calypso said.

"So," Jason said somewhat loudly to get everyone's attention, "the Lady of the Lake. She gave Excalibur to Arthur. I thought you had to be worthy to wield it. That's the whole point of what Lancelot is doing, isn't it? So does that mean…"

"Yes, Jason," Piper finished, smiling, though sounding slightly annoyed that it'd taken him so long to get there. "It means that you are worthy to take Excalibur. Of course that's what this is about. Why else would the Lady of the Lake summon us? She's the one who's been helping us this whole time, the Black Knight just told us."

"And it also explains how you got us into this room," Calypso said. "If the magic here was put in place so that the unworthy couldn't get to Excalibur, then it makes sense that only someone who was worthy to take it could get in."

Jason looked down at the beautiful sword in the former king's hands. Was it really his now? He certainly didn't feel especially deserving of one of the most famous swords of all time. But there was only one way to find out for sure whether the sword was supposed to be his or not.

He grabbed onto the sword and pulled it from Arthur's grasp as gently as possible. It was sort of weird taking the sword away from a dead man, but Arthur definitely didn't feel like a dead man, which made it even weirder.

Suddenly, the sword was free from Arthur's grasp. The handle felt really warm in Jason's hand. The half celestial bronze, half imperial gold blade hummed even louder. Jason hefted the sword, which was longer and heavier than what he was used to fighting with, and suddenly the still air in the small cave whipped itself into a miniature wind storm. Then the air was still again, and the sword stopped humming. Jason felt winded and energized all at once. "Whoa," he said breathlessly. "I think it worked."

Leo made a whopping sound. "Excellent! Another quest completed for the team!"

Jason and Piper shared a look. It wasn't over yet. "Afraid we're not done just yet."

Leo slouched. "You want to go send Lancelot back to the Underworld, don't you? And rescue the Lady of the Lake from his clutches?"

Jason and Piper both nodded. "I've got Excalibur now," Jason said. "It should give me an edge."

"Besides, there's a goddess with an old grudge that we've got to put a stop to once and for all," Piper added. "We can't make either of you join us, but we'd appreciate the help."

Leo chuckled. "Well I can't just walk away now, can I?"

Before Jason could stop himself, he said, "Didn't stop you before." He realized how terrible what he'd said was immediately, but his hurt feelings were only getting worse. He thought spending more time with Leo would make it easier, but it was actually making things worse. "I'm sorry," Jason said quickly, seeing the stricken look on Leo's face and the angry look from Piper. "It just… I'm gonna go back outside and get some air."

Jason stormed out of the room. Literally. There was a huge gust of wind as he exited the cave.

* * *

Jason found an empty spot on the opposite side of the hill and sat there, brooding, Excalibur lying next to him in the grass. The sun had set by the time Piper came over to talk to him. "So we figured out a plan," she said curtly. "We don't know where Lancelot is holed up, but we figure it's got to be near whatever lake the Lady of the Lake calls home. We've got Festus scanning for lakes and ponds with strong concentrations of magic. And we told him to pay special attention to any places where those line up with snow."

"Okay," Jason said.

"It will take until morning for Festus to finish the scan, so we're camping here tonight," she continued. Piper got up to leave. "One last thing. You've got to patch things over with Leo."

"Right, I'll just do that," Jason said sarcastically. "I'll just forgive his betrayal."

"He didn't betray us," Piper replied hotly. "You are being ridiculous Jason. This isn't like you at all."

Jason didn't respond. He knew he was being childish. He knew he had gone too far earlier. He knew that Leo didn't deserve all the anger and bitterness he was pushing on him. And he knew that his behavior was making his girlfriend really, _really_ angry with him, and that was never a smart thing to do. But for some reason, he just could not shake off his bad feelings.

"Whatever," Piper said. "You've got watch from three to five in the morning. The camp fire's at the top of the hill. You're welcome to join us when you've decided to be yourself again."

"Piper, I'm sorry," Jason said sincerely. "I really am. I just can't let go of… I don't even know what to call it. I'm just really mad at Leo. Aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Piper replied. "But I'm a hell of a lot happier that he's alive than I am angry that he didn't contact us. But you're not even acting like you're happy to see him again, Jason. You're acting like you wished he'd stayed dead."

"I am happy he's alive," Jason said defensively.

"Then start acting like it," Piper said sharply.

She turned and stomped back up the hill. Jason growled in frustration. Great. He couldn't stop being angry with his best friend, his girlfriend was pissed at him, he barely knew Calypso, and tomorrow they'd be going into deadly combat against Lancelot and a goddess, assuming he and Piper were right (and they almost definitely were). Things were not looking good.

* * *

 **AN: Getting close to the end! I'll see you guys tomorrow!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hey guys, I'm back once again! Are you ready for chapter 11? Some big stuff happens in this chapter, so look forward to that! Enjoy the chapter and DFTBA!**

* * *

Chapter 11

December 21st

The night passed by uneventfully. In the morning, Leo checked in with Festus to see if he had a location for them. "The big guy says that there's only one lake in England that fits our criteria," Leo said. "It's about an hour's flight."

"Let's make sure we set down far enough away that none of Lancelot's people see us," Jason said. "That way we can get the element of surprise."

Leo nodded, but he didn't meet Jason's eye. Jason felt a pang of mingled guilt and anger. "Do you have any of those cords you bound Nike with?" Jason continued, pushing past his brief surge of emotions. "Because if we're right and _she's_ there, I'd like to bind her up and take her back to Olympus so we don't have to worry about her coming back again."

"Yeah, I have some," Leo said. "Made a bunch of extra, just in case."

"Great," Jason said. Everyone stood around in awkward silence. As the sort of quest leader for this sort of quest, Jason felt like he should give some kind of inspirational speech before they hopped on Festus and flew into danger, but he didn't really know what to say. "Right, then. Let's go."

The four of them climbed aboard Festus and took off into the air.

* * *

After about an hour, they set down in yet _another_ forest. This particular set of woods, though, featured a deep blanket of snow, which steamed as Festus landed in it. Jason was the first one down, sinking into the snow up to his mid-calf. "Yeah, we're definitely in the right place," he commented, steam rising with his breath. He debated on whether to bring his gladius or Excalibur. While it was true he had no training with the longer sword, he also felt like there was some important reason to bring it rather than his short Roman blade. He decided to follow his gut and strapped the new sword to his back. He decided it was too long to strap to his waist.

Piper, Leo, and Calypso were all gearing up for the battle and the inclement weather, wrapping themselves in jackets. Jason decided he should probably dress for warmth, too. He wasn't cold yet, but he could feel the cold, and knew it wouldn't be long before he needed a jacket anyway. After bundling up and preparing their weapons, the four of them gathered in a circle to discuss the game plan.

"Here's what I figure," Jason said. "Piper and I should go in first, get their attention, while you two sneak around and attack from behind. Aim for the psycho goddess. We need to get her tied up and out of the fight as quickly as possible. While you two attack her, Piper and I will go after Lancelot. With any luck, we'll take them out without too much trouble and be done before lunch."

The others nodded. "Alright, Piper and I will go now," Jason continued. "You two follow close behind, but stay out of sight."

As Jason and Piper walked towards the lake where they were sure to meet their foes, Jason sighed. "I'm sorry Pipes," he said. "I've been acting childish the last couple of days. It's just… a lot to take in, having Leo back."

Piper sighed. "I know it is," she replied. "But Jason… I don't know… I always thought you could handle things better than this."

"I know," Jason said. "And with anyone else I could have, but Leo… he's my best friend, Pipes. Can you imagine if Annabeth apparently died, then you find out months later she was perfectly okay and just never got around to telling you?"

"I'd be pretty upset," Piper said, "but I'd be willing to forgive her if she was willing to put forth the effort and if she was really sorry about it. And Leo _is_ really sorry and guilty about not telling us."

"I know," Jason sighed. "I know he is." Before he could keep going, an arrow landed on the ground right in front of them. Figures leaped out of the trees: twenty or so of Lancelot's undead soldiers had ambushed them.

"You fools," one of them said. "You've brought us the sword of your own free will!"

* * *

The undead army led Jason and Piper to a small compound on the edge of a lake. Well, compound was a generous term. It was really just a spot on the shore surrounded with wooden walls. The undead troops led them through the makeshift gate. There were lots of tents in the walled area. Standing in front of the biggest tent, in the very center, were two people, a man and a woman. The man was Lancelot, Jason recognized him from his dreams. He was taller and slimmer than the other knights, with a better trimmed beard and neater hair. Some of his handsome looks had decayed along with his skin. Still, he struck a regal figure.

Next to him was the woman who'd knocked their plane out of the sky, and had been after Jason and Piper for a year: Khione. She had added a crown of ice to her outfit. Lancelot, too, wore a crown, though his was pure gold. He smiled maniacally as they approached. "You imbeciles!" he cried out in joy. "After I'd heard you'd killed the Black Knight and taken the sword… well I was afraid you'd fly back to America and I'd never get my hands on Excalibur. But Khione told me you'd come, that you'd want to finish what you'd started, that you'd want to save the Lady of the Lake." He laughed loudly. "And now you're here. Give me the sword, Jason Grace, and I will spare _your_ life."

"Your life is mine, however, Piper McLean," Khione said. "As revenge for what you did to me in the Mediterranean."

Piper shrugged. "You shouldn't have been so far south."

Khione laughed. "Soon it will not matter how far south you go. No one will be able to escape my storms. Lancelot and I will launch a new Ice Age!"

"You're delusional," Jason said. "How exactly are you going to accomplish that?"

Khione faltered somewhat. Jason realized for the first time how wild her eyes were. He'd been wrong before. Lancelot wasn't the mania, Khione was. It didn't matter if she actually had a plan or not, she was completely consumed by what she wanted, namely to defeat Jason and Piper and establish herself as some kind of Ice Queen. Jason had never seen a god become a mania before, but looking at Khione, he knew that was the only explanation. Whether she'd ever return to normal, he wasn't sure. Still, he and Piper needed to delay them a bit longer, just to make sure Calypso and Leo could get into a good position. Jason really hoped they'd be able to find a good place to attack from when the fight began.

"And why exactly did Gaea resurrect _you_ ," he asked Lancelot.

"To take over England," Lancelot replied. "She was going to help me take Excalibur, and using it I would conquer all of England and regain my rightful place on the throne."

"Right," Jason said slowly. "Well good luck with doing that once we've sent you back to the Underworld."

He drew Excalibur and yelled. Lightning rocketed down from the sky, easier than it had ever been for him before, and ricocheted off the blade, vaporizing Lancelot's entire army. Jason smirked at Lancelot. "Now it's two on two," he said to Lancelot and Khione. "Or, better yet, four on two." Suddenly, Calypso and Leo leaped out from behind one of the tents, charging Khione. Jason and Piper leaped forward, swords pointed at Lancelot.

Khione just laughed and snapped her fingers. The snow around the "King" and "Queen" swirled, and Khione and Lancelot teleported across the field. Jason, Piper, Leo, and Calypso met in the center, and turned to charge towards the new location of their targets. Just then, the snow swirled again. The wind picked up, and in seconds they were in the middle of a snow storm. That wasn't even the worst of it. Khione had apparently picked up a new trick. She'd just created a dozen twenty foot tall monsters made of snow and ice.

"Okay, new plan," Jason said, but before he could finish his thought, Leo lit himself on fire and charged straight through one of the snow monsters and towards Khione. "Or we could just improvise," Jason muttered.

"Jason, go get Lancelot," Piper said. "Calypso and I can handle these _things_."

Jason charged across the snowy field, the sudden snow storm obscuring his vision somewhat as the snow peppered his glasses. Lancelot was waiting for him with sword drawn. "Perfect," Lancelot said. "Just how I wanted. A man to man fight between you and me." Lancelot struck first, his longsword moving so fast the air whistled. Jason raised Excalibur to block the strike, but only _just_ managed to get his blade up in time. The longsword felt awkward in his hands. He wasn't at all used to the blade. He quickly regretted his decision to bring it and not his gladius.

Jason backed away from Lancelot, parrying the blows each time, but barely. He tried to pay attention to his friends' fights, but it was difficult with the snow and the intensity of the fight he was in. He only knew where Leo was by the bright glow of orange and yellow flames. He could hear Piper and Calypso fighting the snow monsters somewhere behind him, but he couldn't angle himself to see how they were doing.

Lancelot laughed as he continued to push Jason back. Jason really was struggling to keep up with his opponent. Lancelot suddenly kicked out, his foot landing square in Jason's chest. Jason fell backwards, tumbling away. It was done. Lancelot was about to win, and it hadn't even been a very long fight.

Then Jason heard a faint voice, coming as if from the end of a tunnel. _Do not give up hero. You are Excalibur's chosen. You are greater than Lancelot. Now show him your power._

Strength surged through Jason's limbs. He rolled out of the way as Lancelot stabbed downward and popped back to his feet immediately. Jason was on the offensive now. Excalibur clashed against Lancelot's sword with great rapidity. The snowstorm around Jason seemed to abate, or at least the wind started obeying him without Jason even trying. He whipped a whirlwind up around himself and his foe.

Lancelot's face went from confusion to fear very quickly. "How are you doing this?" he cried out.

"I'm the chosen wielder of Excalibur," Jason replied. With his next hit, Lancelot's sword shattered. Shrapnel flew everywhere. Lancelot turned and ran, but Jason increased wind pressure against his foe's front, halting him in his steps. He yelled and a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky, bounced off his blade, and vaporized Lancelot.

"One down," Jason murmured. He turned to find his friends. Without realizing it, Excalibur was increasing his wind control so much that he'd effectively stopped the snowstorm. It was just a light flurry now. "Wow, what a sword!" Jason exclaimed.

Leo seemed to be doing fine against Khione, his aura of flames stopping her attacks. Frankly, it looked like he was toying with her, waiting for her to wear down so he could wrap her in the god-containing cords. Piper and Calypso were doing well, too, but they needed his help more than Leo did. They were still outnumbered by the snow monsters. Jason leaped twenty feet into the air and landed with a huge amount of force on one of the snow monster's head. The creature burst apart.

"Nice of you to join us," Piper commented. She sliced off one of the snow monster's arms and it burst apart. Calypso dodged a fist of ice and thrust out her hand, casting some kind of spell that punched a hole through the monster's chest.

Jason whirled around, leaping up and bisecting one of the monsters vertically. "No problem," he said to Piper. "Just had to take care of some garbage first." He stabbed another snow monster. There was only one left. All three of them attacked it at once. It didn't stand a chance.

They were just about to cheer, when they heard of scream of pain from Leo. Khione laughed wildly. Somehow, she'd gotten lucky, and a huge icicle had pierced Leo's chest. "NO!" Jason screamed. Suddenly all his anger towards Leo vanished as his best friend hit the ground, the snow underneath him turning red as his blood soaked it.

Khione turned towards Jason and Piper. "Now for the rest of you," she said, smiling. She charged forward, wielding two five foot long icicles as swords. Jason and Piper ran to meet her. Calypso ran around the back to Leo.

Khione's ice swords were harder than regular ice; at least, they didn't shatter when they met the metal blades of Jason and Piper's swords. The air rang. Khione was fighting with a new energy and intensity, but she was still unhinged, and her strikes were uneven and sloppy. Plus, he and Piper were really angry, and they were using that to their advantage. Jason stepped inside one of her strikes and knocked one of her blades out of her hands.

Khione switched tactics. She swung her singular sword with one hand, and used her now free hand to summon up snow monsters, one at a time. Jason kept dispensing them, but her strategy worked in that it stopped him from fighting her directly too. Not that he needed to. Piper was doing very well on her own. All she needed was for Khione to make another mistake, and she did. Khione over-swung, losing her balance. Piper stepped around Khione and slashed off her left hand.

Khione screamed in pain as she fell to the ground. Her left hand dissolved into snow. Khione glowered at Jason and Piper, too weak to put up resistance anymore. "I'll destroy both of you someday," she growled. It sounded like she was about to leave. Sure enough, she turned into a flurry of snow and tried to drift away, but the snow wasn't even able to leave the shape of her body before golden cords shot out of nowhere and wrapped around the small flurry of snow that was Khione. It was Calypso.

Khione turned solid again and screamed. "NO!"

Calypso strode over with the golden cords and tied up Khione. "Unfortunately for you," she said, "I'm something of a master weaver. There is no way you'll ever escape these bonds."

Khione screamed in pain and rage, cursing all of them, but Jason ignored her. He turned to where Leo was lying in the snow, bleeding out. He and Piper sprinted over, Calypso following somewhat slowly.

Jason and Piper kneeled over him, tears falling freely from both of their eyes. The icicle that had pierced Leo's chest had melted away, revealing the ugly, gaping hole in his chest. "Hey guys," he croaked.

"No," Jason whispered. "No, come on man. Don't… don't die again."

Leo smiled weakly. "Hey, it's alright dude."

"No it's not," Jason said. "I just reunited with you. And all I've been is a jerk. I'm so sorry Leo. I should have… I should have…" Jason couldn't finish his sentence.

"No, really man, it's alright," Leo said. "Honest. Everything's fine."

Piper couldn't even speak she was sobbing so hard. Calypso was standing over Leo's head. Surprisingly, she didn't look upset at all, but Jason couldn't pay that any attention. He was losing his best friend all over again, and it sucked.

A puff of air escaped Leo's mouth, and he stopped breathing. Jason's breath caught. Piper's sobs only became worse. "It's alright," Calypso said. "Everything's going to be okay."

"How can you be so calm?!" Piper screamed. "Leo just died! Again!"

"Not for long," Calypso said quietly.

Before Jason could figure out what that meant, the wound in Leo's chest glowed red out of nowhere. The light was intense, blinding Jason momentarily. When the glow faded, Leo's wound was gone, his skin perfect, like he'd never been stabbed. Then, Leo gasped and sat up. Jason fell backwards away from him. Piper screamed.

"Whoo!" he yelled bracingly. "Wow! That always feels so weird!"

"H-how… what…?" Jason asked, completely incapable of stringing together a sentence.

Leo looked at him, abashed. "The Physician's Cure worked a bit too well. It didn't just bring me back to life. It's made it impossible for me to die."

A million questions jumped to Jason's head at once, but before he could ask them, a woman emerged from the lake, glowing faintly blue. The snow all around them melted. She smiled down at the four heroes. The Lady of the Lake had come out to thank them.

* * *

 **AN: *gasp* See you guys tomorrow with the last chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Merry Christmas guys! Sorry that I missed my upload yesterday, stuff got in the way. But here I am with the final chapter of Jason Grace and the True King's Sword. Thank you all so much for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. I'm happy to see so many people who like my story :)**

 **What will come next after this? Well, either tomorrow or Saturday I will upload a Christmas one-shot that takes place immediately following this story, so look out for that. It will be part of my one-shot collection "Untold Stories." I hope you enjoy it. And I hope you enjoy the final chapter of this story. Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, and DFTBA to everyone!**

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Chapter 12

December 21st

The Lady of the Lake was beautiful in a surreal sort of way. She glowed blue and was slightly transparent. Her hair was dark. She was tall – as in about ten feet tall – and she wore simple gossamer gown. "Heroes," she said, smiling, and Jason recognized her voice as the one that spoke in his head while he was fighting Lancelot. "You have done well."

"Why me?" Jason asked. "Why am I the chosen wielder of Excalibur?"

"Because you represent Arthur's spirit," she replied, smiling kindly. "You are everything he was: a great hero, the son of the sky god, and a uniter of the Greeks and Romans. You are precisely the type of person who deserves Excalibur."

Jason frowned, holding Excalibur in his hands. "I didn't do any of that alone."

"Neither did Arthur," the Lady said. "Remember that. Perhaps Arthur might have lived longer had he paid his friends closer attention."

"What?" Jason asked. "But Lancelot was never Arthur's friend."

"That is a lie Lancelot told himself," she said sagely. "They were truly friends, but Arthur ignored his advice too many times, treated him poorly too many times. You did not see that in the dreams I sent you, but you must know they were true. Arthur needed his friends, as do you."

I looked at Leo. Our eyes met.

Leo turned to the Lady of the Lake. "Lady, just what the heck are you?" Leo asked, as uncouth as ever.

"A naiad," she explained. "A naiad that was sleeping peacefully until Lancelot arrived, trying to force me to give _him_ possession of the sword. But it was never my choice who got the sword. The sword chooses the wielder."

Jason glanced down at Excalibur, alarmed. "This thing is alive?!"

The Lady of the Lake shook her head. "No, your father cast a spell on the sword so that it could only be wielded by the greatest living son of his. The sword has slumbered for many generations, as have I. Once I was awoken, I sensed the sword awakening, too. I was always able to interpret the sword's intentions, so I made sure that it got into your hands. And I made sure you found your friend again."

Jason wondered how much of her actions were because she wanted to make sure he got the sword and found Leo again and how much of it was to save her own skin from Lancelot and Khione. Still, he supposed he should be grateful. Piper beat him to it. "Well we thank you for all you have done to help us," she said.

"You are most welcome, Piper McLean," the Lady of the Lake said. "Now go. Return the twisted goddess to the other gods."

And just like that, the Lady of the Lake faded. "Well that was anti-climactic," Leo said with a grumble. He groaned as he climbed all the way to his feet. Calypso helped him up.

"Easy," she said. "You know how weak you are right after you're reborn."

"Yeah, you wanna explain about that?" Piper asked.

"I told you, the Physician's Cure worked a bit too well," Leo said. "I can't die now."

"How'd you find out?" Jason asked.

Leo looked at Calypso as if trying to remember. "Where were we, Sunshine? Bangladesh?"

Calypso scratched her head, thinking. "No, I think it was in Hong Kong."

"Oh, that's right, it was Hong Kong," Leo said. "Yeah Festus was roosting on top of one of the skyscrapers. It was the middle of the night. I was installing the cloaking feature, so I had to shut Festus off."

"I thought it was impossible to shut him off now," Piper said, frowning. "You know, after I brought him to life with charmspeak."

"Not quite impossible, just really, really difficult," Leo said. "By which I mean I had to pull out his brain. Anyway, I was installing the cloaking control inside his skull cavity. I don't really know what exactly happened. I guess I was caught by a gust of wind or something. Anyway, I fell right off the top of the skyscraper and plummeted to my death. A few seconds later, I woke up, really sore, but otherwise alright. I mean… I'm basically Deadpool now!"

"Who's Deadpool?" all three of them asked.

Leo held his hand to his heart. "You wound me, all of you. First you didn't know what Monty Python was, now this?"

"So just how good are your regeneration powers?" Piper asked. "There has to be some kind of limit."

"If there is, I haven't found it yet," Leo said. "And I'd rather not push it."

"What about aging?" Jason asked.

Leo shrugged. "Dude, your guess is as good as mine on that one."

They talked about Leo's new powers for a little while. "When you're all done congratulating each other, perhaps you can take me back to the other fool gods," Khione said. "I'd rather take their punishment than continue listening to you prattle on."

"Oh, shut up," Jason said.

"You want me to gag her?" Leo asked.

For some reason, Jason found that ridiculously hilarious. He laughed and he just couldn't stop. Finally, when he calmed down, he gave Leo a bear hug. "I've missed you, dude. I'm sorry I was such a jerk."

"It's alright, man," Leo said. "I'd be pretty pissed if I was you, too."

Jason held Leo and arm's length. "No, it's really not alright. I was a complete and total jerk. I was angry and spiteful. I was just hurt. It wasn't fair of me, and when I almost thought I'd lost you again…"

"Dude," Leo said, "it's fine. Honestly. It wasn't fair of me to hold out on you guys for so long. I was just… I don't know. Afraid. And the longer I waited the more afraid I became. But I'm glad you guys found us."

Calypso and Piper both said, "About time!" Clearly the girls had been waiting for the boys to reconcile.

Khione groaned in disgust. "Oh stop it, already."

"Yeah, I'm definitely gagging her," Leo said.

After the appropriate gag had been made and placed in her mouth, Leo came back over. "So what's the plan, peeps?"

"Well, I guess we'd better take Khione to Olympus," Jason mused. "The gods will want to give her some kind of punishment. Then after that… well Percy's having a big Christmas Party. I bet everyone would love it if you'd come."

"What's Christmas?" Calypso asked.

Leo gasped. "It's the best freaking holiday ever!"

"Jason's right," Piper said. "It'd be great if you guys could come. Surprise everyone."

Calypso and Leo had some kind of silent conversation. Then Leo turned and grinned. "Let's do it! But first, let's see some of the sights here in England. Khione's not getting loose, and we have a couple days left till Christmas. Our treat."

Piper grinned at Jason, then said, "We'd love to." And she was right. Jason had finally come to terms with what had happened. And he was thrilled to have his best friend back.

* * *

 **AN: See you in the next couple of days in my Christmas one-shot!**


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